So, here’s the scoop. Novak Djokovic, yeah, that guy, he was on fire in 2023. He won a whopping 82% of the sets he played. That’s the best record on the ATP Tour that season.
Djokovic, man, he had a year to remember. Some would say it was one of his best. He bagged seven ATP singles titles, and get this, he only played in 12 tournaments. He was winning left and right, lifting more trophies than any other player on the tour.
And the Grand Slams? Djokovic was in all four finals. He won three of them and was the runner-up in the one he didn’t win. He also raked in over $15 million in prize money. That pushed his career earnings past the $180 million mark. He’s the first tennis player ever to hit that milestone.
According to the folks at OptaAce, Djokovic also ended the season with the highest success rate in sets won on the ATP Tour. Out of 176 sets, he won 144. He was the only guy to win at least 80% of his sets. Carlos Alcaraz was a distant second with 78%, while Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev trailed in third and fourth.
Djokovic only lost two matches on the ATP Tour in 2023 after winning the first set. One was against Lorenzo Musetti in a rain-interrupted match in Monte Carlo. The other was against Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. That loss ended his 34-match winning streak at the All England Club.
The Wimbledon loss, though, it was symbolic of Djokovic’s dominance. He hadn’t lost a Grand Slam match since winning the first set in the 2016 US Open final. But it had a silver lining. The Serbian went on a 19-match winning streak from July to November at the ATP Finals.
During that streak, Djokovic won titles in Cincinnati, the US Open, and the Paris Masters. And even though he lost his unbeaten run to Jannik Sinner in the round-robin stage at the season finale, he had the last laugh. He beat the Italian in the championship match for his 7th crown.
Takeaways
‣ Novak Djokovic won 82% of the sets he played in 2023, the most of any player on the ATP Tour, and won seven ATP singles titles from just 12 tournaments played.
‣ Djokovic played in all four Grand Slam finals in 2023, winning three titles and finishing as runner-up in one, and became the first tennis player in history to earn over $180 million in career prize money.
‣ Despite losing his unbeaten run to Jannik Sinner in the round-robin stage at the season finale, Djokovic won the championship match for his 7th crown.