After Novak Djokovic won his 24th Grand Slam title, the all-pervasive G.O.A.T debate reared its head again. The way the tennis world looked at his position in the contest took a turn. Although his other competitors in the debate, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, are a little behind him in terms of Grand Slam titles and other tennis achievements, the Serb has certainly been the frontrunner to be the G.O.A.T. for a while now. But numbers might be the only thing on Djokovic’s side.

How does a sport determine which of its countless players deserves to be hailed as the greatest? Superlatives aren’t decided in hard-set numbers only. In matters as subjective as this, personal opinions drive the conversation in an endless loop. Of the recent heavyweights that expressed their two cents, Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, made a clear admission.

Serena Williams’ former coach made a strong G.O.A.T. statement about Novak Djokovic

The former Australian tennis player was quite impressed with the 2023 French Open champion’s legendary accomplishments on the ATP Tour. During a recent interview with Marc Lucero as a guest for Sports Talk, she stated an oft-harped fact about Djokovic’s position against the other G.O.A.T. competitors.

She said, “Novak Djokovic 47 times in a Grand Slam (semi) final. I mean some players don’t even play 47 Grand Slams, period. And the fact that this guy, was in his 46 or 47th (semi) final, and now his 24th major. I don’t think- he’s never going to be as popular as Roger and Rafa. It’s just a fact.”

Lucero also agreed with what the 52-year-old Australian coach was trying to say and addressed how he was trying to put up a big number so that he could be a part of tennis history. Nonetheless, while his archrivals, Federer and Nadal, both have 20 and 22 Grand Slams under their names, respectively, the way Djokovic is rising on the court, there are a lot of different speculations regarding where he stands in the GOAT debacle. However, just a day ago, Djokovic talked about absorbing the harsh reality of getting overshadowed by other tennis legends, amidst yet another surprising turn of events.

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The conspicuous silence of Federer and Nadal as Djokovic battles harsh tennis reality

At the age of 36, the Serbian tennis player made history by winning his 24th Grand Slam title and his fourth US Open title. At this point, it may even be said to say that, statistically, he has surpassed the ‘Big Three’ league as well. The dominating trio share a collective 66 Grand Slam titles between them, but Djokovic is now clear of the retired Federer (20) and Nadal (22). The G.O.A.T. claims have a solid basis for contention now.

However, even after such a great accomplishment, in a recent interview, Nole emphasized a sad fact: if he hadn’t been from Serbia, he would have been glorified on the sporting level many years ago, especially in the West. But he added that he was still proud of how his circumstances make his tennis accomplishments even more amazing.

What makes his comments even more realistic is the silence of Roger and Rafa post his groundbreaking victory. Only Andy Murray emphatically lauded the Serbinator’s achievements, saying that he thinks that it wasn’t the last time that Novak raised a Slam trophy. What are your thoughts on the 2023 Australian Open champion’s place in the GOAT debate? Post your comments in the space provided below.

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