Former World No.1 labels Novak Djokovic as the ‘top three greatest athletes of all time’

Novak Djokovic is scheduled to play at the Cincinnati Masters next, where he is the defending champion.

Former World No.1 labels Novak Djokovic as the ‘top three greatest athletes of all time’

Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)

24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was already considered the greatest tennis player of all time before the Paris Olympics began. However, after capturing his first Olympic Gold medal, all doubts appear to have vanished.

Many consider the Serbian star one of the greatest athletes of their generation, including former World No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov. The Russian took the GOAT debate to a whole new level, recognizing the Belgrade native as the benchmark of sports athletes.

YouTube video
There is no question whether Novak is the greatest of all time in tennis, that’s for sure. Whether you can put him on the same level as Michael Jordan… I don’t, because I grew up idolizing the greatest athlete of all time, which is Michael Jordan – all I wanted was to watch him play live.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov said in an interview with Tennis Majors

As things stand, Djokovic has every trophy and major record in his book. The 37-year-old conquered all four Grand Slam titles in 2016, beating Andy Murray to win his first Roland Garros title.

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To me, he is always No. 1, but Novak is definitely among the top three greatest athletes of all time, undoubtedly – all the accomplishments, records that he has broken, titles he has won.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov added

Djokovic currently holds seven ATP World Tour Finals titles and 40 Masters 1000 titles, both of which are records. Moreover, the right-hander has held the World No. 1 ranking for 428 weeks, which is 118 weeks more than second-placed Roger Federer.

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Novak Djokovic’s pathway to become World No.1 again

Novak Djokovic won his first Olympic gold medal on Sunday (August 4), defeating Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, 7-6, 7-6. Despite this historic achievement, the Serbian won’t gain any points in the ATP rankings.

Novak Djokovic (5)
Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)

According to the rules, the ATP doesn’t add or subtract any points based on Olympic performance. Therefore, Djokovic has his work cut out for him to regain the World No. 1 ranking.

Djokovic has withdrawn from the National Bank Open but is expected to play in the Cincinnati Masters, where he is the defending champion. After that, he will travel to Flushing Meadows to defend his US Open title.

Djokovic also has the BNP Paribas Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals to defend this year. With so many points to defend in the second half of the season, it is unlikely that Nole will return to the top of the rankings. However, as the tennis community learned over the past week at the Paris Olympics, Djokovic cannot be ruled out.

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