It may come as a surprise to say Novak Djokovic is definitely not the Greatest Of All Time in men’s tennis, but it’s an opinion I feel strongly about.
The Serbian has indeed won the most men’s grand slam titles with his tally of 24 and could add another at the Australian Open currently underway, but for me Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are both bigger tennis legends.
The retired duo of Nadal and Federer have won 22 and 20 grand slam titles respectively, but yet both rank ahead of Djokovic in the most important aspect of sport.
That aspect of course, is humility. This is not to say that the Spaniard and Swiss legends do not have a certain kind of arrogance in their armour. For they do.
However, there’s a line between self-confidence and arrogance, and many talented sports stars generally tread on one side. In fact, some say you have to be arrogant to be successful and they may well be correct.
But when you’re talking about the greatest ever, you would want that person to be a role model for the next generation.
The problem with Djokovic, is that he has very little humility and only in the late stages of his career now does he seem to be showing any hint of that admirable trait.
Watch any interview with Djokovic and you’ll notice he’s always actively trying to curb his arrogance. Left unchecked, it bubbles over and this has been seen on court on many occasions.
Scotland’s Andy Murray who now coaches Djokovic, spoke about Nadal’s character.
“The way he dealt with adversity, the way he dealt with losses, he just get’s it,” said Murray.
French tennis star Gael Monfis described Nadal as: “A very caring person. He does good for everyone around him. He’s such an unbelievable champion and legend. For me he is the ultimate fighter.”
Meanwhile, women’s tennis legend Serena Williams said that she always looked up to, and admired Federer.
If you were to go purely by number of grand slams won, Djokovic would obviously win that debate.
But being a GOAT is about more than titles won, and also about how they were won, and being humble in defeat. In that regard, Djokovic has always been lacking.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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