Novak Djokovic is the GOAT declares Sania Mirza snubbing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal while justifying her claim

Novak Djokovic gets the nod as the GOAT by Sania Mirza who explains her claim for snubbing the rest of the field.

Novak Djokovic is the GOAT declares Sania Mirza snubbing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal while justifying her claim

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Sania Mirza (Credits: Reuters, The Times, NDTV)

One of the most heated debates has been to determine who the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) is. The frontrunners are Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The trio who have been fondly named the Big-3 have combined won 65 Grand Slams. 20 of Federer, 22 of Nadal, and 23 of Djokovic. These along with numerous other records over their illustrious careers have made the debate always end in conflict.

Every individual has their own preference to determine the GOAT. Offering her two cents towards it, former Doubles World No. 1 Sania Mirza also entered the discussion. Mirza, a six-time Grand Slam title winner, went the way of making the choice based on numbers. As a result, she picked the Serbian great as the GOAT in men’s tennis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni5wLkVqeEQ

“The debate will continue but I definitely think that, given the way Novak is playing physically, he has probably become the greatest ever male player if you look at the numbers. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal forced each other to become the best and they credit each other, and also Novak, for pushing them to their limits,” said Mirza speaking with The Week.

FS Video

Mirza did make it clear that parameters for every individual could be different. But in the eyes of the former World No. 1, she believes the Serb is ahead of his contemporaries.

Keep Exploring: Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal doesn’t bother the Canadian Open director who’s counting on Carlos Alcaraz and others

The ‘numbers’ that make Novak Djokovic the GOAT as per Sania Mirza

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic lifting the 2023 French Open trophy (Credits: The Sun)

The debate can go on for ages and fans of other players would still not find a common ground. With the rivalry that the Big-3 shared, to an extent, it’s understandable that a conclusion be drawn for the discussions. Back to Sania Mirza’s claim, the numbers achieved by Novak Djokovic do certainly make a case for him.

He remains the only man with 23 singles Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, a feat achieved by none. Rafael Nadal is closest with 22 followed by a two-place tie between Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka on 3 Majors each among active players on the ATP Tour. Next, Nole has spent 389 weeks as the World No. 1, a feat matched by no man or woman since the rankings were introduced.

Nole alone has won all three Majors thrice, while having also won 38 Masters-1000 titles, all Masters events twice, won four straight ATP Finals, and has finished as the top-ranked player for seven different seasons. While this is just the top of the peak of records Djokovic has, Mirza certainly favors these to vote him as the GOAT.

Djokovic, 36, still has a long time to break a few more records if he plans his season well. He’s already spoken of targeting only the Majors. With his conscious effort to protect his body against all odds to keep him fit and his iron-clad will to chase records, the numbers can certainly rise by the time he hangs up his racket for good.

In case you missed it: