"If somebody passes me, you better be pretty freaking good" - Jimmy Connors on Novak Djokovic closing in on his 109 titles record

With 109 titles to his name, former World No. 1 Jimmy Connors holds the record for the most titles won on the ATP tour. This record, however, is now under threat from Novak Djokovic.

At the recently concluded Paris Masters, Djokovic put together a strong campaign to win a record-extending seventh title at the ATP Masters 1000 event. In doing so, he also became the first player to win 40 Masters 1000 titles.

Overall, the Serbian now has 97 singles titles to his name, including a record 70 'Big Titles' — 24 Grand Slams, 40 Masters, and a joint-record six ATP Finals.

Former American star Connors, speaking on the latest episode of the Advantage Connors podcast, has stated that it takes a special player to break his 109 titles record.

"I've had a good run. I don't know what it is, the number, you know, 109 has stood. And if somebody's going to come up and beat that, God damn, good luck to him! Sometimes being in the finals ain't a bad thing.

"I finished a long time ago, 35 years ago with 109, it has stood a long time and if somebody passes me, you better be pretty freaking good, you know? And if that happens, on you go," he said.

The 71-year-old also stated that he is a fan of Djokovic and that he isn't upset about having his record taken away as records are meant to be broken.

"I'm a Djoker fan. I am because I like the way he plays, he takes the ball early, he's kind of an old-schooler. The way he plays and gets in there and tries to be aggressive on their returns and move forward and so forth. I like that because he's an old-schooler.

"And for him, go far it. If you play another two or three years or whatever and bypass me. Do I like the record? Yeah, but records are made to be broken, right? And if somebody comes up and does it, go for it. Good on you," he added.

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Jimmy Connors: "How long is it gonna be to pass Novak Djokovic? It might be a hundred years!"

Novak Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam champion.

While praising Novak Djokovic for his longevity and success on the ATP tour, Jimmy Connors also stated that the Serbian, if he breaks the 109-title record, will not have his accomplishments overshadowed anytime soon.

"My 109 has taken it 40 years to be 109. How long is it gonna be to pass him? It might be a hundred years, who knows! Because right now, and I hate to say it like this, because there ain't nobody stepping up and winning six to eight tournaments or eight to ten tournaments a year, nobody's doing that. Not even Carlos Alcaraz.

"To reach that number, you've got to start winning eight or nine tournaments every year. Maybe when Djokovic does it, he's gone and maybe it is Alcaraz who starts doing that and blows by him, who knows?

"But to break that amount of tournaments, you've got to have one year somewhere along the line where you win 12 to 15 tournaments here, 10 or 12 tournaments, to really catapult yourself," he added.

Djokovic and Alcaraz will return to action this week when they take part in the year-ending ATP Finals in Turin.