How 2014 Paris Masters Title Adds to Novak Djokovic's Legacy

Novak Djokovic added a few firsts to his already legendary career on Sunday in Paris: He became the first man to defend his title at the BNP Paribas Masters, and he won his first tournament as a father.

Along the way, he won the 600th match and 20th Masters title of his career. Perhaps most importantly, he further increased his lead at No. 1, nearly making it impossible for Roger Federer to overtake him at the top of the rankings at the World Tour Finals in London.

Overall, it was a pretty great week for the Serb. Of course, at this point, he's pretty used to those.

"This win is for my son, this is the first tournament I won since becoming a dad," Djokovic said, via the Associated Press. His son, Stefan, was born on October 21.

While Stefan won't be able to remember Djokovic's Parisian heroics, it's a week that his father won't soon forget. With Roger Federer nipping at his heels and threatening to take over the No. 1 ranking, this year's Wimbledon champion cruised through the field without dropping a set.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

He defeated Gael Monfils in the third round, Andy Murray in the quarters, Kei Nishikori in the semis and Milos Raonic in the final. Not even a hurt calf, for which he took a MTO in the final, could slow him down.

The win makes him only the fifth active player, behind Federer, Rafael Nadal, Lleyton Hewitt and David Ferrer, to win 600 matches.

Josh Meiseles of ATPWorldTour.com broke down how impressive Djokovic's road to 600 has been: 

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At just 27 years old, six years younger than Hewitt and five behind Ferrer, achieving the milestone is a testament to Djokovic’s consistent run of dominance since crashing onto the scene in the late 2000s. A fearless competitor, the Serb’s ascent to the summit of the ATP World Tour has not been without its share of struggles, but it has been the Belgrade native’s strength in the face of adversity and warrior mentality that has made him one of the elite players in the modern era.

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At this point, the only major milestone that Djokovic is missing is a title from the tournament down the street in Paris: Roland Garros. Djokovic has made the final there in two of the last three years, losing to Nadal both times.

Despite his six titles and Wimbledon crown, it's been an up-and-down season for Djokovic, who at times has looked lost on the tennis court. He lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open to eventual champion Stanislas Wawrinka, had stunning losses to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tommy Robredo in the U.S. Open Series and then fell to Kei Nishikori in the semis of the U.S. Open. 

But it's a credit to Djokovic's greatness that he was able to shrug off subpar performances and still have a history-making season. When his back was against the wall, he relied on his movement, return and trademark fight to pull him through. It helped to have two trusted coaches, Boris Becker and Marian Vajda, by his side.

The key to Sunday's triumph in Paris was solving Raonic's monster serve, as reported by Nick McCarvel of BNPParibasMasters.com: "Raonic uses that as his big weapon....Throughout the week that was his best shot. He relies on the serve very much in his game. I knew if I can, you know, make him play an extra shot, maybe he's going to drop the percentage of first serves and I can step in and maybe take initiative on the second."

Now, Djokovic is just one round-robin win at the World Tour Finals away from clinching the year-end No. 1 ranking for a third time in his legendary career, a stat that would tie him with Nadal. In an era that has been defined by Federer and Nadal, Djokovic's greatness is all the more impressive. There is no stage too big for Djokovic and no challenge too daunting.

Off the court in 2014, Djokovic became a husband and a father. On the court, he won six titles, took home his seventh Slam and climbed to No. 4 all-time in Masters victories, trailing only Ivan Lendl, Nadal and Federer.

The scariest thing? The year's not even over yet.