The reason why Jim Courier felt ‘sad’ for Novak Djokovic in 2019 despite naming him the ‘player of the decade’

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Novak Djokovic has enjoyed a legendary tennis career, reaching world number one and winning 24 major titles.

The Serbian star won his first Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open, when Djokovic beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets.

He was then made to wait three years for his second Grand Slam, which was quickly followed by two more, as Djokovic won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in 2011.

In total, Djokovic won 15 major titles in the 2010s, more than any other player in the men’s game.

Describing Djokovic as the ‘best player of the decade’ in 2019, Jim Courier revealed why he felt ‘sad’ for him.

Jim Courier felt ‘sad’ that Novak Djokovic was in the shadow of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Appearing on the Tennis Channel in 2019, Courier named Djokovic as the best player of the 2010s.

“He was clearly the player of the decade,” he said.

“It’s kind of sad in a way that he’s the most underappreciated player, relative to what he’s done, he’s just been toiling, not toiling, dominating in the shadow of Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal], who have also done amazing things.

“But unquestionably, he’s been the best player this decade. His head-to-head record is also very good against those guys in this decade.”

Djokovic’s head-to-head record against his fellow ‘big three’ members was far better than that of Federer or Nadal’s during the 2010s.

• Novak Djokovic’s record against Rafael Nadal/Roger Federer (2010-2019) – 42-25
• Rafael Nadal’s record against Novak Djokovic/Roger Federer (2010-2019) – 23-30
• Roger Federer’s record against Novak Djokovic/Rafael Nadal (2010-2019) – 22-32

Federer’s former coach, Paul Annacone, agreed, as he claimed Djokovic will never be treated the same as his Swiss and Spanish rivals.

“No matter what Novak [Djokovic] does, he’s never going to be Rafa and Roger, he’s just a very different personality,” said Annacone.

“I find that a little bit hard because when you look at the numbers, he was the best player this decade.

“But by the way, no matter what you do, Novak, you’re never going to be treated like Roger and Rafa.”

Reflecting on the trio’s dominance throughout the 2010s, Courier was ‘amazed’ they were all still competing.

“It’s amazing that they’re all playing at this age, for starters, with Roger [Federer] especially,” he said.

“But with Rafa [Nadal], I was certainly in the camp that didn’t think he would have the chance to be this successful or even on the tour in his 30s, given how much he extracts from his body in each shot he hits and his intensity, and yet he is still going strong, adding to his remarkable record.

“Djokovic seemed like he would have the cleanest bill of health, but even he had the elbow issues, which set him back for a while. He’s talking like he wants to be Tom Brady, playing when he’s 40, which is remarkable.”

Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic dominated tennis for a decade, winning more titles than their closest rivals, by some distance.

It was the big three who dominated the 2010s, but who has been on top so far in the 2020s?

Who has been the best ATP player of the 2020s?

Carrying momentum through from an excellent decade in the 2010s, Djokovic continued to pick up titles during the first few years of the 2020s.

He may not have won a Grand Slam title since the 2023 US Open, but Djokovic still leads the way ahead of his younger rivals.

It does, however, seem likely that both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will surpass Djokovic before too long, considering the pair have shared the past six Grand Slams between themselves.

Only time will tell who will finish the 2020s on top, but it will certainly be interesting to see how things play out.

Grand Slam winners Djokovic, Alcaraz, Sinner, and Daniil Medvedev will all look to add to their tallies when Wimbledon begins on Monday, June 30.