End of GOAT debate? Mischa Zverev not sure if Novak Djokovic will ever be World No.1 again

End of GOAT debate? Mischa Zverev not sure if Novak Djokovic will ever be World No.1 again

Mischa Zverev (R) and Novak Djokovic

Tennis player and one half of the Zverev brothers, Mischa recently revealed in an interview that he is not sure whether former World No.1 Novak Djokovic will ever regain his ranking, especially when his entry for the 2023 Australian Open is still not clear, and Wimbledon 2023 may still not be able to offer any points.

“The way Novak looks, he can play another three or four years,” Mischa told Eurosport in an Instagram live session.

“But I don’t know if he will be world No. 1 again. The big issue will be: Will he play the Australian Open? If it goes badly and later in the year there are no ranking points at Wimbledon again, he would potentially be 4000 points short,” Mischa justified his stance by noting. As things stand, Djokovic still does not have a green signal to compete in Australia because of current anti-vaccination laws.

FS Video

Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz would reject the opportunity to have Roger Federer coach him as Juan Carlos is like a “second father” to him

YouTube video

Mischa Zverev lashed out at on social media for absurd remarks

Recently, Mischa had to face the angst of users on social media after he indirectly called out Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz for achieving the No.1 ranking with just 6740 points. Mischa recalled how a few years ago someone like Grigor Dimitrov could only reach World No.7 even with 7000 ATP ranking points in his kitty.

Mischa’s claims against Alcaraz left twitter fans angry and they slammed the German for his baseless comparisons where some even asked him to first play some incredible matches and leave behind his own mark rather than criticizing others.

Mischa Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz
Mischa Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz

Some also speculated if Mischa was frustrated with the fact that his 25-year-old Olympic gold-medalist brother Alexander was not yet able to win a Grand Slam title while 19-year-old Alcaraz already has.

However, some people also seemed to sympathize with Mischa’s cause, suggesting that there could indeed be something wrong with men’s tennis that needed attention.

Alcaraz has had a spectacular 2022 season as he claimed the number one spot in such a short span of time since he made his debut in the ATP Tour in 2020 when he was just 16 years of age. He created history after becoming the world number one when he was just 19 years, 4 months and 6 days.

As for Mischa, he has been missing out of action since the French Open where he suffered an ankle injury. Mischa’s highest-ever ranking is 25 whereas his brother had once risen to as high as World No.2.

Also Read: Nick Kyrgios joins the elite company of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as he writes his name in a stat that very few can match

Also Read: Novak Djokovic indicates on making last-minute changes to his 2022 schedule hinting to an early end to the year