Novak Djokovic, the 2015 Shanghai Open champion, was upset in the semi-final by Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut last week. The Serbian’s inability to defend his title there has thrown yet another question mark on his hold of of the world No. 1 rank. It has also brought Andy Murray, who went on to win in Shanghai, within closer reach of Djokovic.

But before his grip over the World no. 1 began to loosen, Novak Djokovic’s stay atop the rankings was has been bettered only by Roger Federer. The Swiss has spent a total of 302 weeks as the World no. 1, including a period of 237 consecutive weeks between 2004 and 2008. The rest came in 2012, after he won his last Major, at Wimbledon.

It was in 2015 that Djokovic hit his peak. His performances that year overshadowed what he’d done in 2011, when he had re-asserted himself as a player with potential. This time, it was with results to prove that he was at his pinnacle.

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Djokovic reached the finals of all four Majors in 2015, a first for him, and won three of those, losing only the French Open. He went on to win 11 ATP titles and notched up a 82-6 win-loss record. Three of those six losses came against were against Federer – at Dubai, Cincinnati and in the round robin of the World Tour Finals in London. The remaining three were to Stan Wawrinka (French Open), Andy Murray (Rogers Cup in Montreal) and Ivo Karlovic (Doha).

Expecting him to equal such a streak – and even better it – in 2016 was always a tall order. Despite his early losses in some tournaments including Wimbledon, Djokovic has still done well. He won two Majors this year, completed the career Grand Slam, and picked up a slew of other titles.

However, the race between him and Murray has heated up. The Scotsman is under pressure now, needing to win every match and title until the ATP World Tour finals in London.

All Djokovic needs to do is play what’s left of the year unencumbered. He’s got two more tournaments to go – the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris Bercy and the London finals. A good show, accompanied by anything but the best from Murray, will give Djokovic the reprieve needed to finish the year without being dethroned.