“The rest of the field will tell their grandkids they were once his contemporaries,” Novak Djokovic named MVP of 2023 by Sports Illustrated 

The 36-year-old gets immense praise for winning three out of the four majors this year.

“The rest of the field will tell their grandkids they were once his contemporaries,” Novak Djokovic named MVP of 2023 by Sports Illustrated 

Novak Djokovic after his US Open win (Image via US Open)

Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic has transcended into a legend and there are no second thoughts about it. Hence his getting named as the Most Valuable Player of 2023 by Sports Illustrated should not come as a surprise. However, the words used to announce the name and the rationale given for the decision read like a symphony.

The seven sentences used to summarize Djokovic’s year seem close to perfection. It starts by describing how Djokovic won the three Grand Slam titles out of four in 2023. It then talks about the Serbian’s feat of owning the record for the men’s player with the most number of Grand Slam titles.

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The description then escalates and reaches a pinnacle when it mentions that Djokovic’s opponents will brag about having played against the Serb.

One player wins three of the four majors. (And, by his own reckoning, came maddeningly close to winning the fourth.) He finishes No. 1 in the rankings for the (don’t laugh) eighth time. In the process of it all, he takes the lead for most major wins among male players with 24, effectively declaring game, set, match on the GOAT discussion.
Reads the description from Sports Illustrated while summarizing Novak Djokovic’s year.

It then draws an interesting comparison between Djokovic and rotisserie chickens. And then comes the biggest praise for the Serb:

He oozes aura the way the rotisserie chickens he doesn’t eat ooze grease. Did we mention he’s 36? It was Novak Djokovic’s year. The rest of the field will tell their grandkids they were once his contemporaries.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner get nothing but Ben Shelton is the Rookie of the Year

There were a few more awards given to different names. However, there was nothing for two of the top players and the only two who could challenge the extreme force in Novak Djokovic- Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. While Sports Illustrated acknowledged that the Spaniard and the Italian bettered their past self, they chose Christopher Eubanks as the Most Improved Player.

Ben Shelton titles
Ben Shelton (Image via Instagram)

For the Rookie of the Year, Ben Shelton was the outright pick, and quite obviously. The 21-year-old American not only made headlines for his unique celebration and not caring about Djokovic as his opponent at the 2023 US Open but also won his maiden ATP title while also making it to the semis at the Flushing Meadows.

Alexander Zverev was chosen as the Comeback Player of the Year as the German came back strong after an injury setback at the 2022 French Open. Goran Ivanisevic is the Coach of the Year with special mentions to Juan Carlos Ferrero and Gilles Cervara. Austin Krajicek and Ivan Dodig are the Doubles Pair of the Year.

The 2023 Wimbledon Final was picked at the Match of the Year while the Cincinnati Masters Final between Djokovic and Alcaraz was termed second-best.

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