The number of people hailing Novak Djokovic as the GOAT in tennis has seen a sharp rise this season. After winning the US Open last month, Djokovic is now aiming for a record 25th grand slam title. Rafael Nadal had admitted that his arch-rival is indeed the greatest in terms of titles. Just like Nadal, Magnus Carlsen had the same opinion that Djokovic is the top player of all time.
The chess grandmaster only had praise for the Serbian. Carlsen was impressed by the athletes in Serbia and how they were proud of their sporting greatness. The 32-year-old said, “Novak is the greatest tennis player of all time” via KURIR. Carlsen went on to speak about Serbian Basketballer Nikola Jokic and said that Jokic deserved to be the MVP of the NBA for the third time last year.
Magnus Carlsen on Novak Djokovic:
“I will not say this because I am speaking for the Serbian media and because I am addressing the audience there, but for me, Novak is the greatest tennis player of all time.” pic.twitter.com/MGZUgQ4MFv
— Danny 🐊 (@DjokovicFan_) October 17, 2023
The world’s No.1 chess player is also a fan of Nadal for his never-give-up attitude on the court. Carlsen said that while Roger Federer was an artist, Nadal was an absolute monster on the court. The Spaniard is resting from injuries and is expected to give a tough fight to Djokovic next season. Meanwhile, Djokovic is aiming to create yet another record in the rankings segment this season.
Will Novak Djokovic be able to finish the season as No.1 for the 8th time?
Djokovic is currently at the top of the rankings on the ATP tour. He has 8945 points and leads Carlos Alcaraz by 500 points. Alcaraz came close to overtaking the world No.1 at the Shanghai Masters. The 36-year-old is the only player to finish seven seasons as the world No.1. Pete Sampras had finished six seasons as the top player in the world. Djokovic is now aiming to finish on top for the 8th time.
The 24-time grand slam champion is only five weeks away from completing a record 400 weeks on top of the rankings. Djokovic will become the first tennis player in history to achieve this feat. Alcaraz can prevent the record from happening if he performs well at the Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP finals. The 20-year-old had finished the 2022 season as the world No.1 for the first time.
🔝 Han terminado el año como No. 1 del Pepperstone ATP Rankings:
🇪🇸 Rafael Nadal (2019)
🇷🇸 Novak Djokovic (2020)
🇷🇸 Novak Djokovic (2021)
🇪🇸 Carlos Alcaraz (2022)
❓ (2023)@PepperstoneFX | #ATPRankings | #partner pic.twitter.com/MmusFq5Enk— ATP Tour en Español (@ATPTour_ES) September 13, 2023
The 10-time Australian Open champion will next play at the Paris Masters at the end of this month. Djokovic is four wins away from completing 50 wins this season. The last time he won more than 50 matches in a season was in 2021, and it looks like he can reach the milestone once again in 2023. Djokovic is continuing to create new records in the game for his younger opponents to target in the future.