Djokovic Surpasses Nadal For Fourth-Most Matches Played In Open Era

Novak Djokovic began his quest for a record-extending seventh Paris Masters title with a comfortable straight-sets win over Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Djokovic already owns eight mammoth records at the Paris Masters , which includes the most titles of any player and the most match wins. He extended his win-loss record at the indoor hardcourt event to 46-9, after completing an hour and 23-minute mastery of Etcheverry .

The World No. 2 achieved another significant milestone in that win. Having been tied with Rafael Nadal (1,288 matches), he was able to surpass the Spaniard and play in his 1,289th match on the ATP Tour - the fourth-most in the Open Era.

Djokovic is a solid bet to pass Ivan Lendl (1,310) who is third on the list in the early weeks of next season but is likely to fall short of conquering Roger Federer (1,526) and table-topping Jimmy Connors (1,557), given his limited schedule these days.

Djokovic will be 37 next year and tends to save his body for the most important tournaments. Alex Corretja recently called him the "master of the calendar," given his shrewd planning.

This season, Djokovic has played the fewest tournaments and matches of any player in the Top 10, and has the best win rate (90%), having won 46 of 51 matches.

The 24-time major champion is seeking a 97th career title on the ATP Tour this week. He trails Roger Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109) in that list too.

If he can keep his health in check for the next two to three years and remain at the top of his game, it is possible he could conquer the record for the most titles.

Djokovic has a clear path to hold onto the No. 1 ranking for the remainder of the year following Carlos Alcaraz's shock exit on Tuesday . The Serb will be in action on Thursday, taking on World No. 23 Tallon Griekspoor.