For most of his career, it felt as though Novak Djokovic was chasing both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Having entered his prime much later than Federer and Nadal, Djokovic was always playing catch-up when it came to the Grand Slam race.
At the start of 2011, the Serb had just one major title to his name, which he claimed at the 2008 Australian Open, while the Spaniard and the Swiss star had tallies of nine and 16, respectively.
Fast forward to Roland Garros in 2023, and Djokovic finally overtook both of them by claiming his 23rd Grand Slam title, surpassing Nadal’s 22.
It was a historic moment for the then-world number one, who spoke candidly after the triumph about how he views his great rivals.
Novak Djokovic’s reaction to breaking the Grand Slam record
When asked about leading Nadal and Federer in the Grand Slam race for the first time, Djokovic said: “Well, the truth is that I have always compared myself to these guys, because those two are the two greatest rivals I ever had in my career.
“I have said it before many times that they have actually defined me as a player, and all the success that I have, you know, they have contributed to it, in a way, because of the rivalries and the matchups that we had.
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“Countless hours of thinking and analysing and what it takes to win against them on the biggest stage, you know, for me and my team, it was just those two guys were occupying my mind for the last 15 years quite a lot. In a professional sense.
“So it’s amazing to know that I’m one ahead of both of them in Grand Slams, but at the same time, everyone writes their own history.
“So, you know, I still think that everyone has a unique journey that they should embrace and stick to. But of course, having the three of us, with Andy of course, as well, that we cannot forget, in the last 20 years, it’s kind of reached the golden era of the men’s tennis, as people like to call it.
“I’m really grateful to be part of this group of guys,” said Djokovic, who defeated Casper Ruud in the Roland Garros final to achieve the feat.
Novak Djokovic’s thoughts on being the greatest ever in 2023
Djokovic has never been one to declare he is the greatest of all time, a debate he recently touched on in his interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
In the interview, Djokovic refused to say if he is the best player in history out of respect for Federer and Nadal.
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He had a similar answer back in 2023.
After breaking the major record, he said: “I don’t want to say that I am the greatest, because I feel, I’ve said it before, it’s disrespectful towards all the great champions in different eras of our sport that were played in a completely different way than it is played today.
“So I feel like each great champion of his own generation has left a huge mark, a legacy, and paved the way for us to be able to play this sport on such a great stage worldwide.
“I leave those kinds of discussions of who is the greatest to someone else. You know, I have, of course, huge faith and confidence and belief, you know, in myself and for everything that I am and who I am and what I am capable of doing.
“So this trophy obviously is another confirmation of the quality of tennis that I’m still able to produce, I feel.”
Later that season, Djokovic secured a record-extending 24th Grand Slam by winning the 2023 US Open, which remains his most recent major victory.
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