After the 2024 Paris Olympics final, the silver medalist, Carlos Alcaraz, was asked whether Novak Djokovic was the greatest of all-time (GOAT).
The GOAT debate is very popular among tennis fans. While in some sports it's very easy to declare who was the best player or athlete of all-time, in tennis it got a bit tricky in recent years.
At one point, all three - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic were tied at 20 Grand Slam titles, which are often used to compare the success of a tennis player.
However, since then, a lot has happened. First, Nadal was the first player to win 21 majors and then added also his 22nd, before Djokovic took over and won his 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and finally also 24th Grand Slam title.
Still, there was something that the Serbian player missed in his collection, and that was the gold Olympic medal. On Sunday in Paris, he changed that, beating Alcaraz in the final of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
It was a convincing victory, 7-6(3), 7-6(2), and despite his legendary status, also a bit surprising, given how well the 21-year-old Spaniard has been playing in recent months, having won the Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back.
After winning the gold medal, Djokovic said he 'completed the puzzle' of his tennis career, winning every single big tournament that a tennis player can win, and naturally, the GOAT debate came up immediately.
Also during the Olympic tournament, Djokovic refused to name himself the GOAT, but his final rival, Alcaraz, was asked by Eurosport about the topic immediately after he lost the final.
The four-time Grand Slam champion was quick to recognize that 'numbers don't lie', pointing out that no one has ever won more in tennis than Djokovic.
"Numbers don’t lie. There is not a single tournament he hasn’t won. By numbers, I can’t say no. Everything he’s set out to do, he’s achieved."
However, since the GOAT debate is very subjective to some, the 21-year-old also had a 'but' to add. Some think that the legacy, impact, or other contributions to the sport also influence the GOAT debate.
Therefore, many credit Roger Federer with this title, given his incredible influence when he first had success, before both Nadal and Djokovic caught up.
Early on in his tennis career, as a teenager, Alcaraz also named Federer as his favorite player, and Nadal is his compatriot, who he also admitted to idiolize. Therefore, he had something important to add.
"But there are many other factors that enter the fray. I can’t say for me who is the best in history."
At the end of the day, it probably doesn't matter to Alcaraz who gets the title of the greatest tennis player of all-time, and maybe it doesn't matter even to Djokovic.
He knows that he has won everything he could have won, and his rivals recognize it as well. Who fans decide to name the GOAT in a subjective debate is at the end of the day, subjective.
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