Novak Djokovic is widely considered as the greatest tennis player of all time but it's not something he'll say himself.
As things stand right now, Novak Djokovic is, for many, the greatest tennis player of all time. It's far too easy to make a case for him, but there is a sizeable amount of those who dismiss those claims.
Some point towards the global impact of Roger Federer and argue against him. Some argue for Rafael Nadal's iconic longevity and his status as the greatest of all time, so essentially, it's a debate and comes down to preferences.
Stats overwhelmingly favour Djokovic because he's still adding to it as one of the best players in the world at the age of 36. While many engage in the debate, Djokovic has generally stayed away from that. He refused to proclaim himself the GOAT many times, and he did it again in a recent interview with L'Equipe.
We can suggest three answers. The first: I am the best. If we think that, some will say: ‘he is arrogant! He does not respect the others’. The second answer is to say: I don't think I'm the greatest, showing off that I’m totally humble, which is possible.
And the third: I am who I am, I am proud of what I have accomplished, but I respect other eras and all opinions and I leave the GOAT debate to the others. The third is my answer
That's a pretty amazing response, to be fair, and there is not much to dissect that. Is it a diplomatic one that sounds amazing and looks pretty on paper? Sure, but that's Djokovic being cognizant of his image. He's been pretty good about that unless it comes down to something he's passionate about like his beliefs. He lights his image on fire in that case.