Novak Djokovic to be No. 1 Tennis Player in the World

For the first time, Serbian Novak Djokovic will hold the number 1 spot as the best tennis player in the world when the new rankings are released on Monday. He will replace Rafael Nadal after Novak beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-7 (9), 6-3 in the semifinals of Wimbledon.

Novak Djokovic said:
“It’s definitely one of the most important achievements and days in my life, in my career,” Djokovic told reporters. “We are all dedicated to this sport 100 percent. When you know you’re going to be the best in the world and you’re reaching the finals of your favorite tournament, it’s something special…Both [Nadal and Federer] are incredibly consistent with their success and so dominant the last couple years. They don’t give you a lot of chances to become No. 1. So I guess you need to lose only one match in seven months to get there. If you can do that, then well done…I think every child has a dream to become something in his life. We live for those dreams. We were going through some really difficult periods. You know, our country had wars and stuff. So it wasn’t easy to hold that desire and really believe in yourself. But I always did.”