Does Novak Djokovic Think He's The GOAT? Serb Reveals His Take On The Debate

Last Updated:November 12, 2025, 17:51 IST

Novak Djokovic tells Piers Morgan he refuses to call himself the Greatest of All Time, honoring legends like Nadal, Federer, John McEnroe, Björn Borg, and Boris Becker.

Djokovic, Federer and Nadal constituted the Big Three in tennis (AFP)

Novak Djokovic has once again shown that when it comes to the never-ending “GOAT" debate in tennis, he prefers humility over hype.

In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, the 24-time Grand Slam champion refused to label himself the Greatest of All Time, saying such comparisons across eras are “impossible" and “disrespectful" to the legends who came before him.

“I’m not going to say whether I’m the greatest or not because it’s not my position to say that," Djokovic said. “That would be very disrespectful to those who have paved the way for Nadal, Federer, and all the others."

The 37-year-old Serbian, who stands as the last active member of tennis’s iconic ‘Big Three’ alongside Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, explained that the sport has evolved so much that comparing players across generations simply doesn’t make sense.

“It’s so hard to compare eras," Djokovic said. “Our sport has gone through quite a transformation in the last 50 years — in technology, equipment, balls, surfaces, entourages, the intensity of preparation, and the quality of information available to players."

When Morgan showed off his own knowledge of rackets, Djokovic nodded in agreement but expanded the conversation to include everything from sports science to player recovery: aspects that he believes have fundamentally reshaped the modern game.

“Everything has become more professional," he said. “That doesn’t mean it wasn’t before, but today players are far more informed about what helps them perform and recover better."

Djokovic went on to praise tennis icons like John McEnroe and Björn Borg as trailblazers for his generation, while also paying a heartfelt tribute to his former coach, Boris Becker, a six-time Grand Slam winner whom he called “part of my family."

“I respect the history and all the legends of this sport," he said. “I’ve never felt comfortable calling myself the greatest. I’ll leave that to others. But I’m honoured to be part of that conversation."

Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...Read More

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...

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