Stat of the Day: Djokovic defeats Auger-Aliassime in Rome for 999th win of career

With a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6 (1) victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals of Rome today, Novak Djokovic is now a win away from a milestone only four men have achieved in the entire Open Era: 1,000 career wins.

Djokovic, who’s now at 999, will play Casper Ruud tomorrow for his 1,000th.

MOST CAREER WINS FOR A MAN IN OPEN ERA (tour-level):
1,274: Jimmy Connors (1,274-283)
1,251: Roger Federer (1,251-275)
1,068: Ivan Lendl (1,068-242)
1,051: Rafael Nadal (1,051-212)
999: Novak Djokovic (999-203)

Djokovic’s win over Auger-Aliassime was also the 230th Top 10 win of his career.

“I thought it was high-level tennis,” Djokovic said after his win over the world No. 9.

“I had never faced him before. I knew Felix well—he’s been around the top of the men’s game for quite a few years, but we had never gotten a chance to face each other. And he’s got a lethal serve. Honestly, it’s one thing to practice and another thing to play against somebody in an official match. He’s also hitting his spots in the box incredibly well with his serve. It was not easy for me at all to return.

“He’s also returning well, he's moving well—he’s a very complete player.”

MOST CAREER TOP 10 WINS IN ATP RANKINGS HISTORY (since 1973):
230: Novak Djokovic (230-106)
224: Roger Federer (224-123)
181: Rafael Nadal (181-100)
166: Ivan Lendl (166-92)
128: John McEnroe (128-94)

And last but not least, by reaching the semis in Rome, Djokovic has secured his stay at No. 1. Had he lost before the semis, Daniil Medvedev would have returned to No. 1.

Next week will be the Serb’s record-extending 370th career week at the top spot, and with next week’s rankings being used for seeding purposes at Roland Garros, he’s now projected to be the top seed in Paris, where he’s the defending champion.