“Not something I was honestly dreaming of,” Novak Djokovic is overwhelmed with his new feat as the oldest World No. 1 surpassing Roger Federer as he wraps his head around reality

The Serbian has kickstarted his clay season in style

Novak Djokovic surpassed Roger Federer’s record of being the oldest No. 1 player (Image via Imago)

Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic is the top-ranked player in the world. He has been sitting at the helm for a long time now and during his time at the top; the Serbian has scripted many records. One such record is becoming the oldest World No. 1 player. Yes, Djokovic has surpassed Roger Federer to take this crown.

But as the 36-year-old has revealed, it was not something he was dreaming of. Djokovic has claimed this was an unplanned feat, but now, as he has achieved it, he is overwhelmed. Ahead of his first-round match at the Monte Carlo Masters, Djokovic was quizzed about this and the Serb shared his feelings.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion revealed that he was having a chat with Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna who is the oldest World No. 1 doubles player and they laughed about them being the oldest No. 1s. Djokovic then stated that it was not a planned feat but it feels good.

It's nice, it's great. Bopanna, who is the oldest doubles No. 1, said that 'we have a combined age of 80'. He does contribute to the 80 more than I do. But it's fun. To still be able to compete at the highest level and be No. 1 at the age of 37, is not something honestly I was dreaming of, planning on, or thinking it is going to become a reality.

Novak Djokovic said about him being the oldest World No. 1 via Sky Sports

Novak Djokovic is back to winning ways at the Monte-Carlo Masters

While Novak Djokovic relishes the feeling of being the oldest World No. 1, his on-court performance had taken a hit in the past few tournaments. Djokovic could not defend his title in Australia and then suffered an early exit at the Indian Wells Open as well.

However, as the Serbian ace has not won a title yet, Djokovic is keeping his expectations in check and does not want to feel overconfident with this win. He is happy with his performance, though.

It's a great start. Let's not get ahead of ourselves and put the hopes too high. It's only one match, but the way I felt, I'm really pleased. It's just the beginning of the tournament. It's one match. I'm going to hope to work tomorrow to maintain that rhythm and focus, obviously try to perform as well as I did in the second match as I did today.

Novak Djokovic said (H/T: ATP Tour)

Djokovic will next face Lorenzo Musetti, who beat Arthur Fils in the second round. The Serbian leads the head-to-head record 3-1 against the Italian.