Jimmy Connors has grown into one of tennis’ leading voices since retiring, with his podcast a platform for him to voice all his opinions on the sport he gave so much to.
And whilst it might predominantly devolve into golf chat, there are almost always a few nuggets of insight and wisdom into contemporary tennis.
On this particular occasion, it was Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz who were the subject of his attention, with praise galore for these two titans of the sport and their most recent battle at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Jimmy Connors reacts to Novak Djokovic’s gold medal
Speaking on his podcast, Advantage Connors, the former world number one was as complimentary as you would imagine when talking about both Djokovic and Alcaraz.
After all, their rivalry is already a legendary one despite the monumental age gap between them, and it is a testament to both the former’s longevity and the latter’s maturity that they can compete for such elite titles on such a regular basis.
However, focusing on the Serbian, who did of course win the gold medal, Jimmy Connors actually suggested that that triumph was akin to two other successes that the 37-year-old has enjoyed across his stunning career.
He noted: ‘What do you expect from those two? The kind of tennis that they play and the matches that they play against each other and the effort that they go out and give.
‘Seeing Alcaraz at such a young age, the success that he has had, against Djokovic who has been around for 15 or 20 years and still wanting it.
‘Probably this gold medal is as important to him as his first Wimbledon or US Open. Because he’s done the other. He’s won every Grand Slam, many other tournaments, but winning the gold medal here is just the icing on the cake.
‘Almost three hours of play, 7-6, 7-6, what else do you expect?’
Novak Djokovic is one title away from the undisputed GOAT
Whilst everyone has their preference, whether it be Rafael Nadal’s all-action philosophy or Roger Federer’s unmatched grace, when it comes down to sheer numbers, Djokovic wins all ends up.
After all, he truly has won it all, and whether he did it in a slightly easier period or not remains irrelevant.
He earned the ability to continue in such a way because of longevity that the sport has seldom seen before, and as such he has perhaps stolen a few extra titles from his immediate rivals.
In doing so, he now sits on 24 Grand Slam titles, and by adding the gold medal to his trophy cabinet too, it is looking fuller than ever alongside all nine Masters 1000 trophies too.
All that is left now is for Djokovic to win one final Grand Slam title to move out alone at the top of the leaderboard for both men and women for most Majors won.
The US Open represents a fine opportunity to do just that, with Djokovic pulling out of Cincinnati in order to ensure he’s fit enough to compete again.
Then, only then, can his detractors simply have no defence.
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