LONGEVITY KING: NOVAK DJOKOVIC BEATS FEDERER'S TOP FOUR AGE RECORD
At 38, Novak Djokovic makes history as the oldest player to finish a year in the ATP top four, surpassing Federer's record.
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It's no surprise that Novak Djokovic keeps making history. In the 2025 season, he achieved his 16th top-four finish, moving past Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He also set a record that proves how long he's been great.
As of November 17th, when the ATP Year-End rankings came out, Djokovic was 38 years and 5 months old. This makes him the oldest player to end a year in the top four of the ATP Rankings. He beat Roger Federer's 2019 record, as well as the year before.
Djokovic himself is next on the list. In 2023, he reached World No. 1 and became the oldest World No. 1 to finish a year in that spot, at 36 years and six months. Rafael Nadal was World No. 2 in 2022 when he finished the year in that spot at age 36. Rod Laver (1974) and Jimmy Connors (1987) also held top spots until Federer came along in 2017 and 2018, followed by Djokovic and Nadal.
Djokovic is one of only 14 men to finish in the top four so many times. He's now done it the second most times, passing Jimmy Connors (who he frequently passes for records these days) and Rafael Nadal. He's only behind Roger Federer now, and if he plays at the LA Olympic Games, he could stay in this position for a few more years.
Even though Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are leading the sport and it's harder for Djokovic to win Grand Slams, he's still one of the best. He proved it again this year by reaching multiple major semi-finals and finishing top four, even though he didn't play in many events.
Jimmy Connors did it every year from 1982 onward, except for 1986. Rafael Nadal did it in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022.
Andre Agassi did it three times, in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Stan Wawrinka did it in 2015 and 2016. Like Djokovic, the Swiss player is still playing and might be remembered as one of the most underrated top players.
John Newcombe and Rod Laver in 1974; Arthur Ashe in 1975; Ilie Nastase in 1976; Guillermo Vilas in 1982; John McEnroe in 1989; Ivan Lendl in 1990; and David Ferrer in 2013 all did it once.
Djokovic also finished a record eight of those years at world no. 1. In 2025, he won his 100th and 101st titles in Geneva and Athens. The 24-time Grand Slam champion also reached the final in Miami and the semi-finals in Shanghai. He was usually stopped by Sinner and Alcaraz, or by surprising runs from other players, so he could have won even more Grand Slams.
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
