Novak Djokovic breaks Federer, Nadals record, becomes 1st player to achieve remarkable feat

Serbian ace Novak Djokovic endured a disappointing season in 2025 by his lofty standards. In pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title, the tennis superstar faced disappointments in all four majors as he failed to go the distance. Nonetheless, in a year dominated by Carlos Alcaraz and Janik Sinner, Djokovic managed to do enough to finish in the top four in the ATP's year-end rankings.

The 38-year-old, who is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, reached the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams in 2025 and clinched a historic 100th title in Geneva. He also won the title in Athens and reached his 60th Masters final in Miami. Despite missing a number of big ATP events, Djokovic kept floating between no.4 to 7 in the world rankings.

He is set to close the year as the world no.4 in the year-end ATP rankings, a feat that will help him script history by becoming the first player to achieve a remarkable feat in men's tennis. Djokovic will surpass his rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to become the first player to record a 16th top-4 season in his career.

No player in the world has managed to finish in the top four year-end rankings more than Djokovic in men's tennis history. Djokovic, who will record his 16th top-4 season will break the previous record held jointly by him, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (all at 15). He will become the only player with 16 top-4 seasons.

While Federer and Nadal ended the year as the world no.1 five times in their career, Djokovic has already achieved the feat eight times in his career, further highlighting his dominance in world tennis. The most successful male player in tennis history, the 38-year-old continues to go strong in search of one last hurrah at a Grand Slam.

Despite having turned 38 and dealt with multiple injuries in the recent past, Djokovic continues to chase an elusive 25th Grand Slam, which will see him surpass Margaret Court (24) to become the most successful singles tennis player in the history of the game. Djokovic and Court are currently tied on 24 Grand Slams each.

While Djokovic remains determined to win, it won't be an easy task for the 24-time Grand Slam champion, who now faces competition from the duo of Alcaraz and Sinner, who have dominated men's tennis in the last couple of years. Djokovic has not won a Grand Slam since his triumph at the 2023 US Open, as Sinner and Alcaraz have taken over.

The duo have won the last eight Grand Slam titles between them, with Sinner reaching all four major finals in 2025. Djokovic will not only have to be at his best, but also channel his younger self against the duo if he wants to realise his dream of lifting his 25th Grand Slam title.