Patrick McEnroe gives a heartwarming tribute to ‘GOAT’ Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is gunning for a 100th ATP tour title of his career at Indian Wells, which would make him the third player to do this.

Patrick McEnroe gives a heartwarming tribute to ‘GOAT’ Novak Djokovic

Patrick McEnroe and Novak Djokovic (via X)

American tennis pundit Patrick McEnroe has praised Novak Djokovic. McEnroe, the brother of tennis legend John McEnroe, claims that the Serbian competing at the twilight of his career against the next generation is one of the greatest achievements in sports history.

Patrick compared Djokovic’s longevity to that of Cristiano Ronaldo and Tom Brady. However, he believes that the 24-time Grand Slam champion surpasses them, considering that he competes in an individual sport.

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You are seeing this kind of longevity from great athletes in a few other sports, but what Novak is doing may be the best of the lot. We have Cristiano Ronaldo at the age of 40 still playing on the biggest stages. Tom Brady continued his career for a long time, then you look at LeBron James doing what he is doing in baseball, but I would argue what Novak is doing is even more impressive. With tennis being an individual sport, it is harder to compete for as long as Novak has done and given everything he has won in the sport, his passion and drive for more is so impressive.

Patrick McEnroe said in an interview to Tennis365

Djokovic has built an aura of invincibility around himself since his prime years began in 2011. Slowly but surely, he has managed to break the significant records set by his great rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

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There’s nowhere to run or hide in tennis. If you are Ronaldo, you have some protection from your team mates and may only need to contribute for sections of a game. Tom Brady has all that protection from his teammates and LeBron is a team player, but tennis is all about doing it on your own. That’s why I would say what Novak Djokovic is doing is one of the greatest achievements in the history of sport.

Patrick McEnroe added

Despite slowing down at the age of 37, Djokovic is still able to compete with rising stars like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Recently, at the Australian Open, he defeated the young Spaniard in four high-quality sets.

Looking at Novak Djokovic’s sensational Indian Wells Miami hard-court record

Novak Djokovic has many amazing records in tennis. He has 24 Grand Slam titles and has been world No. 1 for 428 weeks. He also has eight year-end No. 1 trophies. His record on hard courts is very impressive, with 724 wins on this surface.

Novak Djokovic Indian Wells 2025
Novak Djokovic (via X)

In the United States, Djokovic has played 274 hard-court matches and won 230 of them. This gives him an 84% win rate. He has won 18 titles in America, beating his biggest rivals many times.

At Indian Wells, Djokovic has played 61 matches and won 50. He is a five-time champion, winning in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2016. He also won 19 matches in a row there from 2014 to 2017 until Nick Kyrgios stopped him. He missed the event in 2021, 2022, and 2023 but returned in 2024 and lost in the third round.

In Miami, Djokovic has won six titles, making it his best American hard-court event. He has 45 wins out of 52 matches there. His six titles are a record he shares with Andre Agassi. He also became the youngest winner of the Miami Open in 2007, at 19 years old. Djokovic has won the “Sunshine Double” four times, more than any other player.