Novak Djokovic secured himself a spot in the final of the Paris Masters, and the history books once more, with a hard-fought win over Hubert Hurkacz on Saturday.
The Serbian overcame a difficult opponent in the Polish player, losing the first set 3-6, but was in imperious form in the second set as he levelled the match without even losing a game.
In what proved a tough third set, the top seed eventually came through a tie-break to win 3-6 6-0 7-6.
The victory ensured that Djokovic, 34, will end 2021 as the world No 1 regardless of his final result or his performance at the ATP finals in Turin this month.
And while he remains locked with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 Grand Slam wins, a statistic he failed to change by losing in the final of the US Open to Daniil Medvedev in September, his name now stands alone when it comes to another unique record.
Djokovic's latest win in Paris means he will finish the year on top of the world rankings for a record seventh time, surpassing his idol Pete Sampras, with the pair tied at six end-of-season finishes at the summit before the match.
It's a record that is unlikely to be ever matched by Federer or Nadal, who both sit with Jimmy Connors on five world No 1 finishes, with the pair currently sidelined with long-term injuries.
Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe come next on the list with four.
Djokovic, whose participation in the Australian Open in January remains in doubt due to his stance on the Covid-19 vaccine, seemed aware of his piece of history-making.
After congratulating his opponent on his performance afterwards, the Serbian let out a shuddering scream as he pounded his chest, albeit to a mixed reaction from the crowd.
He first topped the rankings in 2011, repeating the feat a year later, and also enjoyed back to back finishes as world No 1 in 2014 and 2015.
He made it five times in 2018, and as Federer and Nadal have waned, his dominance of the past two seasons has been reflected in him levelling Sampras in 2020 and not moving clear of him in 2021.
Djokovic has previously credited Sampras, who won 14 Grand Slam titles, seven of which came at Wimbledon, for helping him "fall in love" with tennis.
