Djokovic remains humble after Roland-Garros glory

June 11, 2023, a historic day in world tennis. For the first time, a man, Novak Djokovic, has 23 Grand Slam titles, an all-time record. The Serb is ahead of Rafael Nadal (22), Roger Federer (20) and Pete Sampras (14). This is the first time in his career that the 36-year-old has been ranked number one.

It is, unsurprisingly, a very important record in the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate that rages among tennis observers and fans around the world. Djokovic is now the man with the most Grand Slam and Masters 1000 titles, the most season-ending world No. 1 (seven times) and the most consecutive weeks at No. 1.

When asked at a press conference if he could become the greatest tennis player of all time after claiming his record 23rd Grand Slam title at Roland Garros on Sunday, Djokovic refused to add fuel to the fire. The Serb was very respectful and explained that he preferred to focus on himself.

“I don’t want to say I’m the greatest because I feel, I’ve said it before, that it’s disrespectful to all the great champions in different eras of our sport that were played completely different than today. .

“So I feel that every great champion of their generation has left a huge mark, a legacy and paved the way for us to play this sport at such a great stage globally.

“So I’ll leave those kinds of debates about who’s the greatest to somebody else. You know, obviously I have tremendous faith and confidence and belief in myself and everything that I am and who I am and what I’m capable of. So this trophy is obviously another confirmation of the quality of tennis that I can still producing.

Djokovic: The Big Four created the golden age of men’s tennis

For a long time behind the Roger Federer/Rafael Nadal duo in the number of Grand Slam titles won, Novak Djokovic has passed the two tennis giants for the first time. He has already overtaken the Swiss by winning his 21st title at Wimbledon in 2022, and now he has overtaken the Spaniard by winning on home soil at Roland-Garros.

In a press conference following his success in Paris on Monday, the re-emerging world number one was quick to thank the two champions who made him better and push himself to beat them on court – and made sure to mention the other man who made his way to form a quartet at the top of the game, Andy Murray.

“The truth is, I’ve always compared myself to those guys because they’re two of the biggest rivals I’ve ever had in my career. I’ve said it many times before, they’ve actually defined me as a player, and all the success I’ve had they kind of contributed to it because we had competitions and matches..

“Countless hours of thinking and analyzing and what it takes to win against them on the biggest stage, you know, for me and my team, those two guys have been racking my brain for the last 15 years. Professionalism!

“So it’s amazing to know that I’m one ahead of both of them in Grand Slams with Rafa, but at the same time everyone is writing their own history. So, you know, I still think that everyone has a unique journey that they should embrace and stay on. But of course, with the three of us, with Andy of course as well, we can’t forget that in the last 20 years it’s kind of reached the golden age of men’s tennis, as people like to call it.

“So I’m really grateful to be part of this group of friends.”