Novak Djokovic wants to be out of the “GOAT debate”, but wants to “keep the No.1 spot”


Novak Djokovic wants to be out of the “GOAT debate”, but wants to “keep the No.1 spot”

Rafael Nadal Roger Federer Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic

The recent two decades of tennis have seen the ‘BIG 3’ i.e, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer stand out among other players. There is a continuous debate of who is the GOAT, and every critic has a different opinion.

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In a recent interview, Novak Djokovic has remarked that he is not concerned about the GOAT debate. While citing plans on the upcoming Vienna Open tournament, Djokovic spoke on various other topics to the press.

Novak says “Sampras has been my idol”

Novak Djokovic and Pete Sampras

World No.1 Novak Djokovic arrived in Vienna to play the ATP 500 Erste Bank Open. He spoke to the media about the ever-engaging, GOAT debate. The Serbian felt that to give his opinion about it was not right. However, he expressed that being in the number one spot is vital for him.

”I leave the GOAT debate to others, it is not my place… I am trying to keep the no 1 ranking, Sampras has been my idol growing up and it would be amazing to tie his record,” Novak said.

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“This temporary ranking system is on until March, for me personally it is great because I have won a lot of points. It would be a different story for me, but it was the same for everybody. I hope that I can reach historic No. 1 in March, but everything is unpredictable,” he added.

The World No.1 is eyeing the 310-week mark of Roger Federer, in a quest to break his record. Djokovic has surpassed Sampras’ number and has second most weeks at the number 1 spot in ATP charts.

Upcoming ATP Erste Bank Open

Filip Krajinovic and Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic won the Vienna Open back in 2007. Now back at the tournament, Djokovic aims to repeat the glory of 2007 in 2020.

“The last time I was here, I won the tournament and I have had quite a lot of support,” Djokovic said. “Thank you for giving me a wild card. They have great hotel and courts, great food, we have all the conditions we need to compete. It is fantastic that we have the opportunity to compete, we have to be grateful for that,” Djokovic said.

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Novak has received a wild card that allows him an entry to the main draw. He is due to face the compatriot, Filip Krajinovic.

“I practiced with Filip (Krajinovic) and we joked that we could be drawn in the first round. Chances were slim, but here we go. We have a similar style of play, he likes hardcourts best, he can play quickly and he is very talented,” Djokovic said.

Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic

Predicting a final against the second seed Thiem, Novak showered some kind words for the US Open 2020 champion.

“The field is extremely strong. I respect Dominic so much, he deserved the Grand Slam title more than anybody else with the way he works. But it’s a long way to the finals, we want it, but we have to take one match at the time,” Djokovic added.

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We will see Novak Djokovic at the Vienna Open on 27th October against his fellow countrymen. It should be an easy win for Novak to begin his campaign at the tournament.

Also Read: ATP Vienna 2020: Men’s Singles Draw Preview, Analysis and Prediction for Erste Bank Open