The long-standing debate about who is the best tennis player in history is a thing of the past after Novak Djokovic’s recent triumph at the US Open. But it is being replaced by another wave of discussions. Can the holder of twenty-four Grand Slam titles be considered the greatest athlete of all time?
He conquered another big tournament. This is the third time this year. He returned to the post of world number one. He equaled Margaret Court’s all-time record for the number of Grand Slam titles.
The question presented itself and simply had to be asked.
Is Novak Djokovic a candidate for the prestigious, albeit always subjective post of best athlete regardless of industry or gender?
“I’ll leave it up to you, gentlemen, and the others, whether I deserve to be part of this debate,” responded the 36-year-old giant.
“However, one thing is a fact. If I wasn’t from Serbia, I would have been celebrated for years, especially in the West,” added Djokovic.
He did not say these words in New York at a press conference with foreign journalists, so they did not travel around the world.
He made the announcement in a more intimate setting among his fellow reporters. His statement was quoted by Serbian tennis journalist Saša Ozmo in Tennis Majors magazine.
Djokovic then continued. He feels no bitterness or excessive regret for his assumption.
“It’s part of my journey, I’m grateful and proud to be from Serbia. It makes all my successes even sweeter and more fulfilling,” added the native of Belgrade.
He thought back to the distant and improbable dreams he had had as a boy of playing Wimbledon champion and the best tennis player in the world.
“It was an incredibly high ambition for someone coming from a family with no tennis tradition, for a kid from Serbia, a country suffering from sanctions, an embargo, a country affected by war, given how expensive and inaccessible a sport tennis is,” explained Djokovic, a 10-time Australian champion Open, seven-time Wimbledon winner, four-time US Open king and three-time Roland Garros trophy holder.
He succeeded against all expectations. “We did it. I say we because I owe a lot to my family, to my parents who sacrificed. It’s not a cliché. It was extremely difficult,” he recounted with emotion.
Djokovic said that in his childhood it was a challenge for his family to “put bread on the table”. Supporting a child in an expensive sport was something that could only be accomplished through significant personal sacrifices.
“We completed an incredible ride, we can all be proud. We enjoy it all the more,” he added.
But back to the topic of the best athlete in history. Interestingly, in 2018, the American station ESPN released a ranking dominated by golfer Tiger Woods and basketball player LeBron James. Djokovic was then in fifteenth place, Roger Federer fifth and Serena Williams twelfth.
A lot has happened since then, and as for Djokovic, his list of achievements is probably far from over.
The Serbian’s tennis genius, unrelenting physical condition and desire to constantly develop, improve and keep up with the upcoming generations make him a strong favorite to win Grand Slam titles in the years to come.
The majority of tennis personalities, including Martina Navrátilová or Andy Murray, are convinced of several more laurels for Djokovic. According to them, it will dominate in the coming years as well.
“I don’t think it was the last time Novak won a Grand Slam,” Murray told Britain’s BBC.
“It’s up to the youngsters to push him and try to overtake him. But it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen anytime soon,” said the three-time Grand Slam champion.
According to Murray, there were premature predictions that the young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who deprived Djokovic of the calendar Grand Slam this year in the Wimbledon final, would be the new king of tennis.
“I noticed after Wimbledon that everyone started saying there was a changing of the guard, but I didn’t think so. Alcaraz is an amazing player, but to consistently show what Novak shows is something else,” Murray said.
Navrátilová added: “Novak is a perfect professional. He still has fire and desire in him. He still wants to be better, that’s what I admire most about him. He will win several more Grand Slams.”
