Novak Djokovic will be the undisputed GOAT for generations

Novak Djokovic has been the heart of tennis talk for the last decade. With the all-time record of weeks as world number one, the Serb is just a breath away.

Who is tennis’ Greatest Of All Time? This simple question has caused relentless debate in the tennis world, and if anything, has only resulted in more questions on the table. What defines the GOAT? Can there be more than one GOAT? What are the implications of the changing eras of tennis? Well, one man by the name of Novak Djokovic may have trumped all doubts and is likely to silence this debate for generations to come.

There is no doubt, Grand Slams are the most highly-acclaimed events in the sport of tennis, and winning one is indeed the highest regarded achievement. In today’s crazy world of tennis, we are seeing unbelievable numbers being reached, with the likes of Federer and Nadal reaching 20 Slams apiece, and Novak Djokovic is well on his way too.

Since the Grand Slam record has become a shared attribute of our infamous Big 3, we need to look deeper into what constitutes a GOAT to get a clear-cut outcome. There is no out of it; being a GOAT means being the world number one, and what better way to demonstrate that you are the best tennis player on Earth than having the most weeks at the top spot, right?

As of March 2021, Novak Djokovic overtook Roger Federer’s unbelievable record of 310 weeks at the number one spot and has immensely surpassed this figure. Tennis rival and current world number 2 Daniil Medvedev predicts the Serb will surpass 400 weeks in the top spot, as the threats of Federer and Nadal are shoved to the wayside.

Once the Grand Slam statistic is out of the question, which is very likely the way things are going for Djokovic, then the GOAT debate will surely come down to who remained at the top the longest. After that, the next most important stat would be the highest number of ATP titles that Jimmy Connors currently holds. While he’s not quite there yet, the Djoker has reserved himself a place among the top 5 members of this record and is gradually approaching triple-digit titles, where the likes of Connors and Federer reside.

Novak Djokovic has achieved many feats in his career that were once thought to be impossible to reach. Most notably, the Serb world number one had broken all limitations at the 2021 French Open finals, where he very convincingly dethroned the seemingly immortal King of Clay and 13-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal on what has become his “home stadium.”

Quite possibly the most difficult task in the history of tennis, defeating Rafael Nadal at his peak form on the clay courts of the Roland Garros, was achieved by Novak Djokovic in flying colors. Winning the final not only meant another Grand Slam to his name but also achieving a never-before-seen record, winning at least two Grand Slams of each major in a single career.

As far as things go, the dethroning of Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros and the quarter-final exit of Roger Federer at Wimbledon was a symbolic “passing of the torch” moment for the tennis GOAT debate, as we now reach the final stages of closing this out for good. At this point, Novak Djokovic is expected to equalize the Grand Slam record and surpass it, as there is now little competition in his way.

Moving forward, Novak Djokovic will likely continue to participate at his very best as Federer and Nadal reach the end of their ropes. The reality is, there is no longer a single player on tour who has the edge over the Serb at any given major, and this has been cemented by the events that have transpired in 2021. Those that could truly challenge Novak are fading out fast, and those that are left don’t have the same level of career exposure or match experience against the world number one.

Indeed, the next several years are staked greatly in his favor, as Novak Djokovic continues to reap the rewards of his relentlessly good form. Of course, it won’t be easy with many fiery young guns on the hunt for their first Grand Slam title, the likes of Tsitsipas and Medvedev, to name a few, and they’ll certainly be looking for blood to get what they desire.

Nonetheless, should Djokovic be dethroned any time soon, he will still have an unbelievable record of weeks at number one to beat. It is unlikely that this will be trumped by the current generation or even the one after that. Once the Djoker has equalized the Grand Slam count, the debate of who is the Greatest Of All Time will reach its final bell. When you really think about it, the trajectory of the tennis world is heading at full speed towards one reality: Novak Djokovic will be the undisputed GOAT for generations to come.