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Paris: The return of Novak Djokovic to first place in the world, just five months after falling to his lowest rank in 12 years, leaves no doubt about the fact that he is one of the great sportsmen.
The Serbian is back on the podium for the first time in two years, at the end of a jagged season for the major winner 14 times.
Djokovic, 31, underwent an elbow surgery in January and dropped to 22nd overall after a dismal quarter-final appearance at Roland Garros in June, briefly threatening him to skip Wimbledon.
But he rallied and won a fourth title at Wimbledon the following month, a 32nd Masters in Cincinnati, and then a third success at the US Open in September.
Despite losing Sunday in the final of the Masters Paris against Karen Khachanov, ending a series of 22 consecutive victories, his record since the start of Wimbledon is 31-2.
"Reflecting on what I experienced last year, it is a phenomenal feat," said Djokovic, who eliminated Rafael Nadal from first place in the world.
"I am very very happy and proud of that, five months ago it was very unlikely given my ranking and the way I play and feel on the pitch."
& # 39; It's everything & # 39 ;:
Djokovic is only three players out of the 17 tournaments of the Grand Slam Nadal and six on the record of Roger Federer (20).
But he has time on his side – Federer has already celebrated his 37th birthday while Nadal, 32, wounded by injuries
In addition, Djokovic enjoys a lifetime record of 25-22 over Federer and 27-25 against Nadal.
"Novak has everything to make records in this sport," said Argentine Juan Martin del Potro after his loss to Djokovic in the final of the US Open.
Djokovic's ability to flourish among the greatest has never been questioned, but the size of his heart has often sparked questions in his early days.
At Wimbledon in 2007, he retired with a back injury in the third set of his semifinal against Nadal.
He also resigned at the 2006 and 2007 French Open at the third and quarterfinal stages respectively, while at the 2009 Australian Open, where he was reigning champion, he s & # 39; 39, is removed from his quarterfinal with Andy Roddick, citing heat exhaustion.
But no one was able to question his bravery at the 2012 Australian Open, when he beat Nadal in the longest Grand Slam final of all time, a grueling 5:53 epic.
Djokovic captured the first of his majors in Melbourne in 2008, but it took three years for him to add his second.
After leading Serbia to a first Davis Cup in 2010, he ran throughout the first half of 2011, making a series of 48 wins.
Only a defeat in the French Open semifinal prevented him from becoming the third man to grab the Grand Slam schedule.
He finished 2011 with a record 70 wins out of six, a series of 10 tournament wins and the first place finish of the year.
People's Champion ?:
Australian openings followed one another in 2012 and 2013, but three heartbreaking defeats prevented the French Open from getting into frustration until 2016, when its decisive victory at Roland Garros allowed him to finish his career. in Slam.
In Paris that year, he also became the first player to break the $ 100 million earnings barrier ($ 87.8 million).
Djokovic has not been afraid to take risks and innovate his game. He has joined Boris Becker as part of his coaching team for the start of the 2014 season, although he is not afraid to take any chances. he has since met with longtime mentor Marian Vajda.
Outside the courtroom, Djokovic married his longtime girlfriend, Jelena Ristic, in July 2014. They have two children, a son Stefan and a daughter, Tara.
However, despite his achievements, Djokovic seems doomed to never be held in the same esteem as Federer and Nadal.
There are those who see something a little more calculating in makeup Djokovic.
He was criticized in the semi-finals of Roland Garros 2015 for taking an eight-minute medical break after dropping the third set to Andy Murray, and at Indian Wells the following year, he was strongly criticized for have suggested men to "fight" to get more prizes than women.
"Statistics show that we have many more spectators at the men's tennis matches," he said.
At Wimbledon this year, he criticized some Center Court fans for an apparent lack of respect, while planners felt anger at having him exiled to Court Two for a third-round match.
Despite the doubts, the applause was generous Monday.
"What Novak has achieved this season should be considered one of the biggest sporting returns," said ATP President Chris Kermode.
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