Former ATP player Juan Martin Del Potro chimed in on the GOAT debate, claiming that Novak Djokovic hasn't sealed it yet.
The Argentinian played dropped his thoughts on the popular greatest of all time (GOAT) debate, and his take is quite interesting. Del Potro played at the height of the Big Three, battling them for years.
He actually did pretty well and impacted the debate personally. For example, he bested Roger Federer in the US Open final, so he's responsible for the Swiss Maestro having one less Grand Slam.
Novak Djokovic jokingly holds him personally responsible for preventing him from winning a gold medal at the Olympics, so in that sense, he also impacted the debate.
If Djokovic had a gold medal, that would certainly complete the resume even better. The fact that he doesn't have one is something some might bring up against him. In any case, Del Potro doesn't think Djokovic ended the debate.
The discussion is still going on, which, to him, signals that people are not yet convinced. Obviously, it's a very subjective matter, so for some, it's an open debate; for some, it's closed, and for others, it will never be resolved.
However, speaking at the 2024 Miami Open, which he attended, Del Potro admitted taht a few more Grand Slams won by the Serbian would close the debate.
"Novak still has a long way to go, he won more titles than them and it is still being discussed. I believe that if he wins a couple more Grand Slams, there will no longer be a discussion no matter how many fans there are of Roger and Rafa."
On a more personal level, Del Potro took a similar approach to some other players. Like Carlos Alcaraz, he thinks they're all the greatest, as they all had times when they were undisputedly the best.
"Each one was the best in history at different times. In the period from 2006 to 2009 Roger was unbeatable, but if you went to clay there Rafa was the best."
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