Serbia’s Novak Djokovic has been named men’s ITF World Champion for a record-extending eighth time following another stellar season which leaves the 36-year-old on the brink of history.

Djokovic sits proudly at the summit of the all-time list of men’s ITF World Champions – two clear of Pete Sampras – after claiming the award for the first time since 2021. He has now also surpassed Steffi Graf’s trailblazing tally of seven in the women’s category.

This follows a campaign in which Djokovic topped the podium at three of the four Grand Slams for the third time in his career, lifting silverware at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open.

He also lost a pulsating Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz. Had that final gone Djokovic’s way, his Flushing Meadows triumph would have seen him become the first man since Australia’s Rod Laver in 1969 to win the Grand Slam.

As it was, a 24th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open moved Djokovic two clear of Rafael Nadal at the top of the all-time list of men’s champions, while success in New York had a wider resonance.

Secured courtesy of a straight-sets win over Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic’s victory in September’s US Open final saw him equal Margaret Court’s overall record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.

One more and Djokovic will stand alone. Nobody will have won as many Grand Slam singles titles as him and it would be hard to argue against him being the greatest in the history of the game.

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However, there are pretenders to the Djokovic crown and this year he faced an almighty challenge from Alcaraz, who for swathes of the campaign looked as though he might take the year-end No. 1 accolade.

But, as has been the case on so many previous occasions, Djokovic found the necessary quality and resolve to finish on top and, in the process, extend his own record as the oldest year-end No. 1 in ATP history.

“It’s the crown of the season, finishing the year as No. 1 in the world,” said Djokovic. “I think it’s a dream of every tennis player. It’s one of the most difficult things to do in our sport. Winning Grand Slams and being No. 1 in the world are probably the pinnacles of the sport.”

It is difficult to dismiss with the dominance of an individual who this season has won three Grand Slams and seven titles overall, including the ATP Finals in Turin. Djokovic also boasted a 55-6 win-loss record during 2023.

Djokovic declared in September that his priority for the remainder of the season was to spearhead Serbia’s challenge for Davis Cup glory as they went in search of a second tournament title.

He duly won the only singles match he contested, against Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, at September’s Davis Cup Finals Group Stage in Valencia before leading Serbia’s Final 8 charge.

Djokovic was instrumental as Serbia defeated Great Britain during their quarter-final showdown in Malaga but lost a dramatic clash against a Jannik Sinner-inspired Italy in the semi-finals as the eventual champions flexed their muscle.

Nevertheless, Djokovic was the author of another captivating story during 2023 and is a worthy winner of his latest ITF World Champion accolade. Congratulations, Novak.