Novak Djokovic dominates list of highest average opponents’ ranking in a single season

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The Serbian maestro Novak Djokovic has made some incredible records throughout his legendary career. The 35-year-old recently won his 21st Grand Slam at the recently-concluded Wimbledon Championships.

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Novak Djokovic

While Djokovic’s participation in the upcoming US Open still hangs in the balance, the former world No. 1 has started practicing in his native Croatia. He was present on the list of US Open entries. However, his unvaccinated status goes against the US government’s regulation which does not allow foreign travelers to enter the country without being vaccinated.

As per Reddit, Djokovic has a unique record of featuring five times in the list of top 8 in terms of the highest average opponents’ ranking in a single season. The further a player reaches in competitions in a season, the better the chances are of him facing highly-ranked opponents. If a player does not make it to the business end of competitions, the chances of him facing highly-ranked opponents come down drastically.

The highest average opponents ranking Djokovic faced was in 2011. The figure was 17.3. He features in the next four as well. 17.4 in 2012, 17.8 in 2015, 17.9 in 2015, and 18.8 in 2013. Rafael Nadal comes sixth on the list as the average rank of his opponents was 18.9 in 2013. Andy Murray on number seven for the year 2012 with an average of 19.3 and Roger Federer rounds up the list with an average of 19.6 in 2015.

Goran Ivanisevic defends Novak Djokovic’s stance on vaccination

In comments reported by Tennis365, the Croatian coach Goran Ivanisevic explained the veteran Novak Djokovic’s opinion on vaccination.

Goran Ivanisevic, who is a part of Novak Djokovic's coaching team has been named as the director of the upcoming Adria Tour which will be held later this month.
Novak Djokovic with Goran Ivanisevic (Getty Images)

“I respect and appreciate him, he made a decision that he will not change. When they proclaim him as a leader, as someone having a bad influence on people, it is false.

“He doesn’t want to get vaccinated, he doesn’t want to put it into his body, and he’s never told others not to get vaccinated. I respect and support his decision,” said the 2001 Wimbledon champion.

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