Novak Djokovic responds when asked if he thinks he is the greatest tennis player of all time

Follow us on Google Discover

There aren’t many players with a better claim to the greatest of all time label than Serbia’s Novak Djokovic…

During the midst of the ‘big three’ era, it became clear that one of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer would retire as not only the greatest player of their generation, but of all time.

When Nadal and Federer hung up their rackets in 2022 and 2024, respectively, with fewer Grand Slams than Djokovic, it became clear, to some, who was the G.O.A.T. [Greatest of all time] of tennis.

The debate rages on, however, and fans have yet to receive a clear answer from the 38-year-old as to who he believes is the greatest of all time.

Perhaps one Piers Morgan could get the truth out of Djokovic…

Novak Djokovic refuses to name the greatest tennis player of all time

During an exclusive interview with Morgan, the Brit asked Djokovic if he believes he is the greatest tennis player of all time.

“I’ve been asked this question quite a bit, particularly lately, in the last several years because, obviously, there are a lot of stats that people play with,” he said.

“Comparisons between [Rafael] Nadal, [Roger] Federer and myself, primarily because of our numbers of Grand Slams won, tournaments won, weeks spent at number one, etc.

Comparing the big three’s tennis achievements

“But my answer is quite consistent when it comes to the overall general discussion of the greatest of all time, and I’m going to say it again.

“I’m not going to say whether I’m the greatest or not, because it’s not my position to say that, and I would say that would be very disrespectful towards the generations that have paved the way for me, Nadal, Federer, and all the others.

“It’s so hard to compare eras. Our sport has gone through quite the transformation in the last 50 years.”

Djokovic was then asked if he thinks his quality on all three surfaces gives him a stronger claim to the title, to which he provided an interesting response.

“I think modern tennis required me to do so,” said Djokovic.

“Going back to the 80s, you had three out of four Grand Slams played on grass, and now the grass is the least played on surface, it’s one month a year, and it used to be the predominant surface on tour.

“The times have changed.”

Always respectful of those who came before him, Djokovic suggested another player could have been considered the greatest if he hadn’t retired early.

Bjorn Borg could’ve been the ‘greatest’ of all time – Novak Djokovic

Going into detail about the progression of the men’s game, Djokovic touched on Bjorn Borg, one of the first players to introduce spin.

“You didn’t have many players playing with a lot of spin. [Bjorn] Borg was the first one who stayed back; he confused quite a lot of players, hence his incredible career and achievements

“I think we would probably be sitting down today talking about Borg being the greatest if he kept going. He retired when he was 26, having won 11 Grand Slams to that point.”

Despite playing a considerably shorter career than other players on the list, Borg currently ranks fifth for all-time Grand Slam men’s singles titles (Open Era).

Most men’s singles Grand Slams won (Open Era)

• 1. Novak Djokovic (24)
• 2. Rafael Nadal (22)
• 3. Roger Federer (20)
• 4. Pete Sampras (14)
• 5. Bjorn Borg (11)
• T-6. Andre Agassi (8)
• T-6. Jimmy Connors (8)
• T-6. Ivan Lendl (8)
• T-9. John McEnroe (7)
• T-9. Mats Wilander (7)

What Borg did hasn’t been repeated since, although Djokovic believes one of his current rivals could be on the right track.

“I mean, [Carlos] Alcaraz is on the way to do something like that,” he said.

At 22, Carlos Alcaraz is a six-time Grand Slam champion and is on pace to match, if not break, Djokovic’s Grand Slam record.

He is, however, yet to complete the Career Grand Slam, something he may look to do at next year’s Australian Open.

The 2026 Australian Open is scheduled to begin on Monday, January 12.