Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka were honored by the International Tennis Federation as the 2023 ITF World Champions on Thursday. The pair were the only singles players who managed to reach at least the semi-finals of all four Grand Slam events this year.
This is Djokovic’s eighth ITF World Champion award, which is also a record. He finished the year as ATP No. 1 for a record-extending eighth time, where he bagged the Australian Open, French Open and US Open, which also took his majors’ total to a men’s leading 24. He was also runners-up at the Wimbledon and led the men’s tour with seven titles.
Speaking to ITF, the Serbian said, “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.”
This is the first time Sabalenka has received this honour. She won the Australian Open this year, which was also her first Grand Slam title. She was runners-up at the US Open, and also made it to the semifinals of the French Open and Wimbledon. She also made her debut at No. 1 in the WTA rankings in September this year and finished the year at No. 2, behind Iga Swiatek.
“2023 has been an incredible season for me and I’m very happy to be named ITF World Champion. From winning my first Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open to reaching world No. 1 for the first time, it has been an amazing year. I’m very grateful to my family, my team and my fans for their support in 2023 and I can’t wait to get back out on court for the new season in January,” said Sabalenka.
