Novak Djokovic has explained that he could provide three answers when asked about the GOAT debate and revealed which of the choices he prefers.
The legendary Serb divulged that he prefers to express pride in his accomplishments but leave the debate to others, instead of asserting whether he is or is not the greatest player ever.
Djokovic broke or extended a number of major tennis records in a historic 2023 season during which he won seven titles and posted a 56-7 (88.9%) record.
The 36-year-old claimed three of the four Grand Slam titles in a year for the fourth time in his career – after 2011, 2015 and 2021 – a record in men’s tennis. He was also a runner-up at Wimbledon, making this the third season following 2015 and 2021 when he reached all four Major finals and won three.
The Serbian’s victory at the 2023 US Open in September saw him secure a record-extending 24th men’s Grand Slam title, having surpassed Nadal’s tally of 22 with his French Open triumph.
Djokovic also earned a record-extending eighth finish as the ATP year-end No 1 en route to claiming a seventh ATP Finals title to surpass Roger Federer for the most season-ending championships crowns.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Djokovic addressed the question of who is the greatest tennis player of all time and outlined the three ways he can answer it.
“We can provide three answers. The first: ‘I am the best.’ If we think that, we will say: ‘How arrogant he is! He doesn’t respect others.’ The second answer is to say: ‘I don’t think I’m the greatest,’ while showing complete humility, which is possible,” he said.
“And the third: ‘I am who I am, I am proud of what I have accomplished, but I respect other eras and all opinions and I leave the GOAT debate to others.’ This is my answer.”
The world No 1 also spoke about the United Cup – the team competition in Perth he is set to play for the first time ahead of the 2024 Australian Open.
“It’s been a while since I was here last time so it’s great. I’m happy when I return to Australia, where I had probably the biggest Grand Slam success in my career,” Djokovic told the media after landing in Australia.
“I’m excited to play; I came in earlier than I normally do due to the schedule because the United Cup starts before the New Year, but representing Serbia is always the greatest honour and pride. So, hopefully we can have a packed house with a lot of people coming to watch our matches.
“I haven’t been to this part of Australia for seven, eight or nine years. It’s going to be great; a hot Australian summer as always. We’ve been trying to prepare for that in the Middle East, so I’m going to take a couple of days of training and hopefully get at my desired level very soon.
“I hope it’s not my last [summer in Australia]. I always looked forward to coming back to Australia, where I felt like I’ve played my best tennis over the years. I have great support here and don’t really have a plan about what’s going to happen next year, and I’ll take it season by season.”
