Novak Djokovic named GOAT ahead of Nadal & Federer by fellow tennis legend

Wednesday, 24 September 2025 at 19:00

byJordan Reynolds

Bjorn Borg left fans with no doubts about who he considers the greatest ATP player ever, and also assessed Novak Djokovic's hopes of winning a 25th Grand Slam.

Borg's 11 major singles titles make him one of the best players in tennis history. The Swede would almost certainly have won more Grand Slams had he not unexpectedly retired from professional tennis at age 26.

Pete Sampras overtook Borg, Rod Laver, and Roy Emerson as the leader for men's Grand Slam singles titles won, ending his career with 14. Overtaking that number seemed like a formidable ask for any player.

Incredibly, Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer all achieved that. Federer overtook Sampras first and ended with 20 major singles crowns, but he was subsequently surpassed by Djokovic and Nadal, his great rivals.

Nadal moved to 22 Grand Slams while Djokovic was still on 20, but the Serbian then claimed four more majors to reach his current total of 24. That ties him with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles won.

Djokovic also has the most weeks at No. 1 and Masters 1000 titles, making him the most statistically successful player ever. Speaking to Sky Sports, Borg had no doubts about Djokovic being the best ever, but thinks Federer and Nadal are tied, despite the Spaniard winning more Grand Slams.

"I think the way he's playing, Djokovic, for me, is the greatest player to have ever played the game. And then the second place comes to Federer and Nadal. They tied for the second place."

Borg's opinion seems influenced by Djokovic's continued high level despite being 38. While he did not reach a major final this year for the first time since 2017, the seven-time Wimbledon winner was a semifinalist at all four Grand Slams.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have split the last eight majors between them despite Sinner struggling against his rival. Nonetheless, Borg thinks Djokovic could still win at the highest level for a record-breaking 25th time.

"It's amazing how he can play that kind of tennis, 38 years old. I'm very impressed. I know he wants to win that 25th Grand Slam tournament. I hope he's going to play one more year, at least next year too, because the tennis he's playing. It's going to be tough with Sinner and Alcaraz and some other players too, but still, he can do it."

Borg recently opened up about his personal struggles

Borg was away from professional tennis for almost a decade before an unsuccessful comeback attempt that began in 1991. Fans were previously unaware of what the six-time French Open champion went through before he tried to be a professional again.

After losing contact with his social circle from tennis, Borg became linked with people who used drugs. That culminated in him collapsing and almost losing his life on the day he was supposed to play in an exhibition event.

Borg was with his father when that happened, and he still remembers his disappointment in him. Publicly discussing such a painful topic was brave, and he deserves credit for it.