On Friday, Novak Djokovic overcame Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals of the Miami Open, and will play for the title on Sunday against the winner of the match between Jakub Mensik and Taylor Fritz. In addition to securing this crucial victory, the Serbian star also claimed a historic milestone that was previously held by Roger Federer.
Djokovic became the oldest player in history to reach a Masters 1000 final. At 37 years and 10 months old, he surpassed the Swiss legend, who set the previous record in 2019 at 37 years and 7 months. Interestingly, both players achieved these milestones at the Miami Open.
It’s important to note, however, that Masters 1000 tournaments have been held since 1990, meaning that tennis legends from previous decades are not included in this statistic. Nevertheless, Djokovic and Federer clearly dominate this category, with the two sharing the top 10 spots for the oldest players to reach a Masters 1000 semifinal.
Now, Novak faces the challenge of becoming the oldest player to win a Masters 1000 title. In 2019, when Federer set his record by reaching the final of the Miami Open, he went on to defeat John Isner and set a new milestone.
Tennis legend Roger Federer.
Novak Djokovic’s 2025 season
Djokovic’s performance at the Miami Open has been his best of 2025 so far. He will play in his first final of the year, as his previous high had been reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open, where he lost to World No. 2 Alexander Zverev.
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In his other tournaments this year, the Serbian star had struggled to compete at his highest level. In Brisbane, he was defeated in the quarterfinals by Reilly Opelka, while in Doha and Indian Wells, he was eliminated early, losing to Matteo Berrettini and Botic van de Zandschulp, respectively.
Djokovic’s next big goal
After reaching the final of the Miami Open, Djokovic has several major objectives ahead, all focused on Sunday’s championship match. First and foremost, he will aim for his first title of 2025. This would allow him to surpass Roger Federer’s record and become the oldest player to win a Masters 1000 event.
But that’s not all. Should he defeat the winner of the match between Jakub Mensik and Taylor Fritz, Djokovic will achieve a feat accomplished by only two players in ATP Tour history: winning 100 titles. Currently, Novak has 99 titles and is just one step away from joining Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) in the elite club.
