Novak Djokovic proceeds to reach points of interest most players might as it were dream almost.
On Saturday, the 38-year-old Serb claimed the 100th title of his stellar career after beating Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz to win the Geneva Open.
Djokovic is as it were the third man – after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) – to clock up the century within the Open time.
To stamp his accomplishment, BBC Wear dives more profound into the stories and numbers behind Djokovic’s ton of trophies.
The journey from one to 100
In July 2006, there was small show – exterior of his local Serbia, at slightest – when a 19-year-old Djokovic landed his to begin with ATP title.
A clay-court occasion within the Dutch city of Amersfoort was an downplayed setting for what got to be a launchpad towards significance.
Djokovic, who was positioned 36th within the world at the time, overcame ruling Olympic winner Nicolas Massu within the last, with the Chilean noticing the “marvelous potential” of his high school rival.
The unused winner celebrated with a bouquet of blossoms in one hand and a silver-plated iPod within the other.
In April 2007, Djokovic won his to begin with ATP Experts title by beating Argentina’s Guillermo Canas in Miami and landed his to begin with major with triumph over France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga within the 2008 Australian Open last.
Whereas he did not win another major for three a long time, the relentless stream of titles proceeded.
At that point came 2011 – a season where Djokovic, sponsored by a more powerful serve and expanded perseverance, took his amusement to more noteworthy statures.
Fuelled by a unused gluten-free slim down which he credits for changing his career, he won his to begin with 40 matches of the year and collected seven titles as a result.
The foremost fruitful season of his career finished with 10 trophies, counting three of the four majors.
How Serb has become the greatest
For years, debate raged over who was the greatest men’s player of all time.
Djokovic has all but ended the argument – if it is based solely on numbers, at least – by moving clear of his rivals in the key metrics.
No man has won as many Grand Slam titles as Djokovic (24)
Nobody has earned as many Grand Slam singles wins (382)
Nobody has won as many ATP Masters titles (40)
Nobody has spent as many weeks at the top of the ATP rankings (428)
Djokovic is the only player to have won all nine Masters events – earning him what is known as a career Golden Masters. In fact, he has achieved that feat twice.
One piece of the jigsaw had been missing, which is why title number 99 was so special.
Winning Olympic gold eluded Djokovic at Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
There had been tears and tantrums as the mental energy spent poured out during his defeats.
At Paris 2024 he also sobbed on the court – this time because he finally landed the title he craved.
Djokovic is one of only five singles players to achieve the career ‘Golden Slam’.
“Being on that court with the Serbian flag raising, singing the anthem, with the gold around my neck, I think nothing can beat that in terms of professional sport,” he said.
Where has Djokovic won the most?
Home is where the heart is for a proud Serb like Djokovic.
There is one place, though, which he has regularly described as his “second home”: Melbourne. Or, more specifically, Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic has won the Australian Open there on a record 10 occasions, making it the most successful tournament of his career.
The events which he has won the most are:
Australian Open (10)
Wimbledon, Paris Masters, ATP Finals (7)
Miami, Rome, Dubai, Beijing (6)
Djokovic’s all-court prowess is reflected by the fact there are events played on three different surfaces in this list – Wimbledon grass, Rome clay and hard courts everywhere else.
Hard courts are where he has enjoyed the most success, helped by the majority of the ATP season being played on it.
Who has he beaten in finals?
When Djokovic lost to Federer in his first Grand Slam final at the 2007 US Open final, the Swiss superstar predicted they would have “many more battles”.
Ultimately, they went on to build an engrossing rivalry – with Djokovic going on to win 13 titles by beating Federer in trophy matches.
He also won the 2014 ATP Finals after the Swiss withdrew before the final with a back injury.
However, it is Rafael Nadal who Djokovic has beaten more times in finals than anybody else.
The ‘Big Three’, as they became known, were the dominant players of the late 2000s and 2010s, with only Andy Murray breaking their 16-year stranglehold on the world number one ranking between 2004 and 2020.
It is unsurprising that Nadal, Federer and Murray account for 40 of the men beaten by Djokovic in his 100 triumphant finals.
The Serb has faced 37 other opponents across the remaining 60 matches.
Argentine Canas, born in 1977 and turning 48 later this year, is the oldest player he has beaten.
Carlos Alcaraz – a 22-year-old who is nearer in age to Djokovic’s 10-year-old son Stefan – is the youngest.
Massu, beaten by Djokovic at the very start in Amersfoort, was also present for the Serb’s landmark success, with the 45-year-old Chilean now coaching Hurkacz.
What does he have left to achieve?
Clinching the century is the clear highlight of a difficult 2025 season.
A hamstring injury in the semi-final curbed his Australian Open ambitions before a struggle for form led to the end of his coaching partnership with Briton Murray.
In Geneva, he insisted the motivation is “still there”.
Standing alone with 25 Grand Slam titles, taking sole ownership of the record he holds jointly with Australia’s Margaret Court, is the biggest target left for Djokovic.
Overtaking Federer and Connors in terms of ATP titles might be another ambition.
“I think I’ve achieved all of my biggest goals in career,” Djokovic said at the Australian Open in January.
“Right now it’s really about Slams and seeing how far I can push the bar for myself.
“I think I can go toe-to-toe with the big guys. As long as that’s the case, I guess I’ll still feel the need to keep on competing.
