‘Does He Become the Male Goat?’- Novak Djokovic Leaves Retired Pro Scratching His Head in Controversial Tennis Debate

With Novak Djokovic reaching the Olympic final, has he finally put the GOAT debate to bed? While both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have their own Olympic victories, Djokovic is striving to add this prestigious accolade to his resume and solidify his place at the top. Ahead of his’s big night, John Millman recently rekindled the GOAT debate by raising the topic of whether an Olympic gold medal would conclusively declare Djokovic the best of all time. He emphasized, “today will be unreal”!

With the exception of taking home an Olympic gold medal, Djokovic has achieved almost everything but an Olympic Gold in tennis since going pro at the age of 15. The 24-time Grand Slam winner hopes to rectify this by winning it in men’s singles at the 2024 Summer Olympics. But Carlos Alcaraz, a formidable opponent who is sure to make Djokovic’s pursuit of Olympic glory an exciting battle, stands in his way.

The former Australian tennis star reignited the perennial GOAT debate on Twitter with a series of provocative questions. Challenging the tennis world’s perception, he questioned whether an Olympic gold medal would solidify one player’s claim to the title. However, he also asserted that certain players had already made a compelling case for the GOAT status without the Olympic gold. His tweet read:

But in the midst of Djoker matchup with Alcaraz, the GOAT controversy erupted, and American ATP player Tommy Paul’s opinions were captured. After defeating Adam Pavlasek and Tomas Machac in the men’s doubles Olympic bronze medal match, partnering with Taylor Fritz, Paul appeared for a Q&A surrounding the GOAT discussion.

In a video shared by the ATP Tour’s official YouTube channel, Paul answered questions about the best in different aspects of tennis. When asked who the tennis “GOAT” is, Paul immediately named Djokovic. In addition, he also praised the Serb’s return on serve, emphasizing that the ongoing GOAT discussion benefits tennis by attracting more attention and involvement in the sport.

Subsequently, a few months before, even Jim Courier shared a one-sided opinion on Djokovic being the GAOT, placing him above Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Courier believes Djokovic is the ‘undisputed’ GOAT

Courier has given his take on the GOAT debate and declared Djokovic the best tennis player over his adversaries, Federer and Nadal, based on statistics. A few months ago, at the Indian Wells Masters 2024, the four-time Grand Slam champion sat down at the Tennis Channel desk and boldly declared,

“Statistically, it’s over. For now, unless Nadal somehow finds something and gets back in the conversation with more Majors,” he said, noting Djokovic’s 24 Grand Slam titles, compared to Nadal’s 22 and Federer’s 20.

With each victory, the case for Djokovic as the GOAT becomes more compelling, potentially settling the debate for fans and experts alike. Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on Djokovic’s run to the Olympics final? Do let us know in the comment section below.