Novak Djokovic’s former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, recently shared that Rafael Nadal’s record of 14 French Open titles and Novak Djokovic’s record of spending the most weeks as World No. 1 in the ATP rankings are two records that will never be broken.
Goran Ivanisevic coached the 24-time Grand Slam winner until early 2024, and the duo won nine Grand Slam titles together among many other trophies.
In a recent interview with Sport Klub published on their website, the 52-year-old spoke about Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal’s rivalry on the ATP Tour over the past two decades.
He stated that Rafael Nadal’s record of winning 14 French Open titles and Novak Djokovic’s record of most weeks as World No.1 can never be broken.
“I think there are two records in tennis that, in my opinion, will practically never be broken. That’s Rafa’s 14 titles at the Roland Garros (French Open) and Novak’s number of weeks at the top of the ATP list,” Goran Ivanisevic said.
The 36-year-old has held the World No.1 ranking for a cumulative total of 419 weeks on the ATP tour. Directly behind him on the all-time list is Roger Federer at 310 weeks.
Regarding Nadal’s 14 French Open titles, he won 5 consecutively and achieved four consecutive wins on two different occasions. The last time he lifted the trophy was in 2022 when he defeated Casper Ruud in the final.
The World No.1 is currently in France for the 2024 edition of the Monte-Carlo Masters, a tournament he won in 2013 and 2015. Rafael Nadal, who pulled out of the tournament on Thursday due to injury concerns, has won the title a record 11 times.
“Novak Djokovic’s record is not over yet, it will still be there” – Goran Ivanisevic
In the same interview, Goran Ivanisevic said that Djokovic’s record for most weeks as World No. 1 is not over yet, as he will still be there for some time.
The Serb has also finished as year-end No. 1 a record eight times, four of which have been with Ivanisevic.
“Novak’s record is not over yet, it will still be there. We don’t know how long, but if everything goes well, he will be number one until Roland Garros,” Goran Ivanisevic said.
He mentioned Djokovic and Nadal’s rivalry, noting they’re not close friends but respect each other, and that they’ve both improved as players because of each other.
“I love Rafa, and those two had something special. I know the media would like some kind of conflict, but their rivalry should be respected. They are not super friends with each other, but they all respect each other and, at the end of the day, they helped each other a lot to become better players,” Goran Ivanisevic said.
