Novak Djokovic breaking legendary Steffi Graf record of weeks at world No. 1 ‘very unique’ says Alex Corretja

Eurosport expert Alex Corretja has given his reaction to Novak Djokovic passing the great Steffi Graf to hold the outright record for weeks spent at world No. 1.

The 35-year-old, who had already broken Roger Federer’s record of 310 weeks as men’s world No. 1, surpassed WTA Tour legend Graf’s remarkable tally on Monday when he moved to 378 weeks at the top.

Corretja has admitted that he “really cannot understand how he can manage to do that for so many weeks” when he was asked about Djokovic’s exploits in sealing this latest record, given the consistency and determination that has been required to achieve the feat.

“I’m going to tell you the truth: as a former player, I really cannot understand how he can manage to do that for so many weeks,” Corretja told Eurosport.

“I grew up looking up to Steffi Graf and watching her all the time, practising hard. I was always wondering how difficult it must be to keep such a high level for so many weeks in your life.

“But now with this from Novak, it is unheard of. It is something that is even difficult to understand for people who have played the same sport.

“This is very unique. It shows so much love for tennis and so much respect for himself – and in the end, for the sport in general because you need to take care of yourself a lot.

“You need to be careful about what you eat, the recovery and the way you prepare for yourself. So that is why I am very impressed.

“The thing is, I think he wants to keep going. It is not like this is going to be it. No, I think he is going to set the bar even higher.”

Asked if he felt breaking the record for weeks spent as the world No. 1 was more impressive than a player winning a Grand Slam, Corretja had little doubt that it was due to the demands on Djokovic over such a long period of time.

“Yes, it is because you need to deal with totally different situations,” he said. “It is not just playing tennis.

“It is about travelling around the world, adapting to different countries and surfaces, accepting all the pressure that it brings to your game, and all the expectations from the outside.

“Of course, you always consider yourself a privileged person because you have been doing what you like, and it is well known and well paid. But that does not mean that it is not a big commitment, you know.

“It is a big thing that you are also willing to do all of that for a long time, and you do not have enough with a little bit – you keep on going.

“All of that shows, in the end, that you love your game, you love the sport of tennis in general, and you also love to break records.

“I also believe for Novak that it is something motivating for him. I believe he is thinking ‘okay, now I will chase this record; now I would like to go for one more major to see if I can pass Rafa’.

“It is a challenging situation and it is something to get motivated with when you are going on court again and again, and playing in different tournaments.

“So I think Novak may go on and break most of the records in men’s and women’s tennis.”

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