Tennis legend Paul McNamee has hailed Novak Djokovic’s latest “remarkable achievement,” with the Serbian set to extend his reign as the oldest No 1 in ATP history.

Having recently overtaken Roger Federer as the oldest player to ever be world No 1 – across either the men’s or women’s games – recent results mean his time at the top will continue.

Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from his Madrid Open quarter-final means it is now all but impossible that he can replace the Serbian at the top spot before the French Open later this month.

While Carlos Alcaraz’s loss in the last eight of his home Masters 1000 event means that he has lost even further ground, with the world No 3 set to be over 2,500 points behind Djokovic when the rankings update next week.

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All that means Djokovic will be No 1 on May 22nd – when the 24-time Grand Slam champion celebrates his 37th birthday, just before his Roland Garros title defence.

Federer was aged 36 when he was last world No 1 in 2018, while Serena Williams was the oldest WTA No 1 in WTA history, aged 35 in 2017.

A long-time supporter of Djokovic, Australian McNamee – a five-time doubles major winner and former No 1 in that discipline – took to social media to congratulate the Serbian.

He said: “After all Novak Djokovic has been through, including in my country, which would have broken many athletes, let’s give credit where credit is due… being #1 turning 37 years of age is a remarkable achievement.”

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Recent results mean that Djokovic is not only going to be the first 37-year-old to be world No 1 but will also extend his reign as the longest-reigning No 1 in ATP history.

He currently has spent 423 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings, first holding the top spot in July 2011, and having spent the last 34 weeks as No 1 after regaining the ranking following his US Open victory last September.

Though there will be rankings pressure on him across Roland Garros and also Wimbledon – where he reached the final in 2023 – it is not impossible to imagine Djokovic reaching 450 weeks as No 1.

With fewer points to defend over the next two months, Sinner has a fairly strong chance of usurping him.

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But doubts currently circle over the world No 2’s fitness after sustaining a hip injury during his Madrid campaign.

After missing Madrid, Djokovic is set to return at the Italian Open next week, where he reached the quarter-final 12 months ago.

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It will be his second clay event of 2024, after reaching the last four in Monte Carlo.

Goran Ivanisevic, and now fitness coach Marco Panichi. Novak Djokovic announces his separation from fitness coach Marco Panichi just weeks after a shock split with his long-time tennis coach. This 24-time Grand Slam champion has continued to trim down his team this season as he has dropped another shocker, before getting ready to go solo, all by himself.

Recently, the world’s number-one-ranked tennis player took to his Instagram account to share how his successful association with his fitness coach has come to an end. He wrote, “Grande Marco, what amazing years of collaboration we’ve had. We reached the summit, won titles, broken records. But most of all, I have enjoyed our most “ordinary” days of training in and out of the gym.” 

Further, he added, “Endless hours of “carciofini” and laughs that made me feel super motivated to prepare for success. Grazie Romanista (as Goran calls you) for all the energy, effort and time you invested in making me the best possible player and person I can be. Much love ❤️ and I will see you soon in Roma. Forzaaaa.” 

In 2019, Marco Panichi joined the Serb’s coaching staff, contributing a plethora of knowledge and experience. Panichi had been well-known in the tennis world before he joined Djokovic, having worked with big names like Li Na and Fabio Fognini. He has also helped other national teams, such as Germany’s and Italy’s, achieve victory.

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Not only that, as a fitness coach, he has been a key player in Djokovic’s career since they teamed up, since the Serbian has helped him win an incredible ten Grand Slam titles.  Nearly a month ago, the 36-year-old Serbian tennis player ended his tenure with coach Goran Ivanisevic. The two had worked together since 2018, and during that time, Djokovic won 12 Grand Slam titles.

“Our on-court chemistry had its ups and downs, but our friendship was always rock solid,” Djokovic wrote in an Instagram post. In spite of this, Djokovic has not yet won a championship in 2024; he lost in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January and the Indian Wells third round this month. But after 20 years of playing professional tennis, the world number one has expressed interest in possibly going it alone without a coach.

Novak Djokovic looks out to go solo – ‘no coach is an option’

Just a few days ago, the 24-time Grand Slam champion talked in an interview about how there is not much need for a coach for him at this moment. He stated, “It’s not like I think I don’t need a coach at all. I think there’s always value in having that quality team… But I think I’m in the stage of my career where I can afford to maybe think having no coach is also an option.”

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Confirming this choice, Djokovic accepted the top men’s prize at the Laureus Awards. Although he was accompanied by former world No. 1 in doubles Nenad Zimonjic at the Monte Carlo Masters a month ago, the 36-year-old is unsure if he wants to stay with him or decide to handle this final phase of his tennis career on his own.

The suspicion has always clung to 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic that he is somehow not of this world, that the relentless perfection of his return of serve and his ability to gazelle around the court like a teenager at 36 must mean he is some sort of tennis cyborg sent from the future with a mission to make us forget the name Roger Federer.

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We now know this is not the case, thanks to the player’s most recent wrist fit worn at this week’s Laureus Awards. Made up of 330 diamonds it is, put simply, not the choice of sporting machine but an all-out party animal. Novak, we had no idea.

Even for a man used to giving royal dignitaries high blood pressure, a Hublot Spirit of Big Bang All Black Pavé is a hell of a showstopper. Diamonds aside, the skeletonised dial (hello HUB4700 self-winding skeleton chronograph movement) and titanium case are noteworthy in their own right. The dial suggests Djokovic likes to see how the inner workings of his watch tick – just as he does when trying to mind game an opponent. And for someone used to having his wrists as light and free as possible, it makes sense he rates the titanium case over a heavier steel or gold number.

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“Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but they’re a GOAT move here by Nole,” says Time and Tide Watches’ Andrew McUtchen, himself a loud and proud Hublot fan. “Factory set diamonds on a watch are reserved for performers and athletes at the peak of their powers – when the accolades racked up are in inverse proportion to the fucks given.

“Whenever I see SOBB written, I think of ‘son of a bitch’,” adds McUtchen, “and these words come to mind looking at Novak’s pavé diamond set black Spirit of Big Bang – in an awestruck, totally appreciative way.”

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In truth, Novak Djokovic has been on this trajectory for some time now. In a press conference earlier this year, the Serb admitted he was trying to enjoy himself a bit more off-court as his career draws to a close. “Something that I’m really trying to evolve with this Novak character is a bit more of a personality – trying to have people relate to him,” he said parodying himself in a spoof ATP video that went viral in March. Messing around with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Usain Bolt on the red carpet – while wearing a statement watch for the ages – seems a decent place to start.