Novak Djokovic has officially been men's tennis' No. 1 ranked player for 311 weeks, surpassing Roger Federer's previous record.
The Serb, who with last month's Australian Open victory pushed his Grand Slam record out to 18 titles, will not set his sights on chasing Federer's and Rafael Nadal's joint record of 20 Slams.
"Big day today," Djokovic tweeted on Monday.
After first claiming the top ranking on July 4, 2011 with his maiden Wimbledon title, beating Nadal in the final, Djokovic has had five separate stays at No. 1 and has finished six calendar years on top, tying the record of Pete Sampras.
Djokovic's ascent to the No. 1 nearly a decade ago marked the first time neither Federer or Nadal weren't the top-ranked male player in almost eight years.
And after eclipsing Federer's record for most weeks at No. 1, Djokovic is firmly on track to eclipse both Nadal and Federer's records for most Grand Slams in a career.
At age 33, Djokovic has time on his side as Federer and Nadal prepare to turn 40 and 34 respectively this year.
Djokovic's Australian Open final win over Daniil Medvedev this year assured him of the No. 1 rank until at least this week, ensuring he would take over Federer for the most weeks as the top rank.
Labelling it a "relief", the 18-time Grand Slam winner indicated he would put all of his focus on the four major tournaments as he vies to reach Nadal and Federer's record.
"When you are going for No. 1 rankings, you kind of have to be playing the entire season, and you have to be playing well; you have to play all the tournaments," Djokovic said at Melbourne Park.
"My goals will adapt and will shift a little bit."
