Djokovic won't be credited with weeks at No. 1 during rankings freeze

For a little over a month, there had been speculation that Novak Djokovic’s weeks at No. 1 would not be counted as a result of the ATP freezing its rankings.

Though the men’s tour has not publicly commented on the issue, on Tuesday, L’Equipepublished a story stating they had received confirmation Djokovic would remain at 282 weeks until play resumes, which won’t happen until July 13 at the earliest. The Serbian, who held a 370-point advantage over No. 2 Rafael Nadal when the freeze was applied on the March 16, 2020 published rankings, has spent 282 weeks at the top.

"The ranking freeze also applies to other areas, as you can see on [this] page," a translation read.

Djokovic needs just four weeks to tie Pete Sampras for second on the all-time list, with Roger Federer holding the record at 310. With the lengthy suspension brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, and growing likelihood its extended, the ATP and WTA will have the added issue of how to address the ranking structure once up and running again. Both tours currently operate under a 52-week system, with minimal exceptions to the rule such as the drop date for the ATP Finals.