Andy Roddick says whether Novak Djokovic needs an Olympic gold medal to be considered the greatest ever

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Novak Djokovic has won almost everything there is to win in the game of tennis during his illustrious career.

The Serbian has a stunning 24 Grand Slam titles to his name so far, more than any other player in the sport.

His tally is two ahead of Rafael Nadal, and four ahead of Roger Federer, with the Swiss recently angering fans after an old swipe at Djokovic’s injury issues resurfaced.

The Serb was keen to add to his tally at the 2024 French Open, but a knee injury has forced him to withdraw from Roland Garros.

The timeline for his return to the court remains uncertain, throwing into doubt his availability for future tournaments.

Andy Roddick shares whether Novak Djokovic must win Olympic gold

Wimbledon is, of course, the biggest of the lot in the near future, but there is the small matter of the 2024 Olympic Games.

Having never won Olympic old, Djokovic will be very hungry for success in Paris, but it is not an honour that he needs to be considered the greatest ever, according to Andy Roddick.

“He is going to value that gold more than anyone else does,” the former pro said on Served with Andy Roddick.

“There is not a person out there who makes a rational argument, and I have seen it out there, if he doesn’t win that gold medal it changes everything with the conversation. No it doesn’t.

“It’s a tournament which happens once every four years on a random surface in a random place that gets wedged in the season.

“I was king Olympics at first and convinced myself it was as valuable as a grand slam. It’s just not the same for tennis players.”

Will Novak Djokovic play at the 2024 Paris Olympics?

Olympic gold medals are not easy to secure, as typified by the struggles of one of the greatest ever tennis players.

The Serbian has only managed to secure a bronze at the competition, which went his way at Beijing 2008.

Djokovic, who has lost in the third-place match in two of his last three Olympics, is now in a race to be fit to finally land gold.

Wimbledon gets going at the very beginning of July, with the Paris 2024 Olympics then getting underway on July 24.

But that tournament may even play on Djokovic’s mind following his injury on the clay, with the venue of the ongoing French Open set to host the Games.

There is the added issue of switching surfaces if the Serbian does pass a fitness test for Paris, with Wimbledon taking place on grass shortly before.