In 2018, Novak Djokovic bounced back from an injury that had kept him out of action for the majority of the previous year.
Djokovic announced after Wimbledon in 2017 that he would miss the rest of the season to recover from persistent pain in his right elbow.
His first tournament back the following year was at the Australian Open, where the Serb bowed out in the third round.
After a quarterfinal exit at Roland Garros, Djokovic finally returned to winning ways at Grand Slams, clinching his fourth Wimbledon title at the 2018 championships.
His comeback season peaked during the North American hard-court swing, where he would achieve a feat no man in history had ever managed.
Novak Djokovic’s historic feat at the Cincinnati Open in 2018
After a fourth-round exit at the Canadian Open, Djokovic advanced to the final in Cincinnati, where he met his rival, Roger Federer.
He defeated the Swiss legend in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4 to hoist the trophy, and with his triumph, he became the first man in history to complete the ‘Golden Masters’.
Djokovic had officially secured each of the nine ATP Masters 1000 titles on the tour, the first of which he picked up at the Miami Open in 2007.
| Masters 1000 | Titles |
|---|---|
| Indian Wells Open | 5 |
| Miami Open | 6 |
| Monte-Carlo Masters | 2 |
| Madrid Open | 3 |
| Italian Open | 6 |
| Canadian Open | 4 |
| Cincinnati Open | 3 |
| Shanghai Masters | 4 |
| Paris Masters | 7 |
| Total | 40 |
Since 2013, the only tournament that had eluded him was the Cincinnati Open, which he had suffered several near misses at, losing in the final five times from 2008 to 2015.
After he eventually won the crown in 2018, he went on to emerge victorious in Ohio two more times, in 2020 and 2023.
To date, Djokovic remains the only player to complete the ‘Golden Masters’, with several players coming close to the accomplishment.
Players who have come close to completing the ‘Golden Masters’
Outside of Djokovic, no player in history has won all nine Masters titles, or even eight of the nine, but a number of greats have earned seven.
Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Andre Agassi, and Federer all finished their careers with a strike rate of seven out of nine.
Daniil Medvedev, who has been struggling for form recently, is the only man with a total of six out of nine and only needs to tick off Indian Wells, Monte-Carlo, and Madrid.
Carlos Alcaraz has found plenty of success at the events in the first half of the year, but is yet to lift Masters titles in Canada, Cincinnati, Shanghai or Paris.
Jannik Sinner currently has four to his name, three of which came in the 2024 season.
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