Djokovic Becomes the Greatest of All Time in Tennis

Back in 2020, in my blog post  https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/tenisin-gelmis-gecmis-en-buyugu-kim-olacak,  I compared the three players who dominated the last 20 years of tennis and had the best statistics in history: Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. Whether it was bad luck that they all played in the same era, or a blessing due to the extra motivation and rivalry, we can’t be sure. But when I wrote that piece in 2020, the Grand Slam count looked like this: Federer 20, Nadal 20, Djokovic 17.

So, Federer and Nadal were tied at the 20–Grand Slam mark, with Djokovic trailing. After Grand Slam titles, my next most important criterion was Olympic medals. At that point, the Olympic results were as follows:

• Federer had won a gold medal for Switzerland in doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and a silver medal in singles at the 2012 London Olympics.
• Nadal won gold in singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and gold in doubles at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
• Djokovic’s only Olympic achievement up to the Paris 2024 Games was a bronze medal in singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

My 2020 Assessment

In the final section of my 2020 article on who would be the greatest, I shared my personal feelings:

Even if he’s behind in the stats, Federer holds a special place. To me, Muhammad Ali is to boxing what Michael Jordan is to basketball, and Federer is to tennis. He was always at the top of the game throughout his career. Even at 40, he was still in the top five rankings. He was the most elegant and the best role model of them all.

In English, there’s the term “GOAT” —short for “Greatest of All Time.” To me, being the GOAT isn’t just about statistics. The real measure is how many people you inspired and how deeply you touched people’s hearts. That’s why, no matter how this race ends, Federer will always be tennis’s GOAT.

Federer and Nadal After 2020

After that article, unfortunately, Federer didn’t win another Grand Slam and ended his professional career at the Laver Cup in London, 23-25 September 2022.*

Despite my wish for Federer to remain statistically the greatest—and if not, then Nadal—Rafael Nadal’s career also began to decline after his victory over Djokovic in the 2020 French Open final.

The next year, due to unlucky injuries, Nadal failed to win any Grand Slams. First, he tore a muscle in his left hip, and later he suffered a back injury. After long rehabilitation periods, Nadal recovered in 2022, winning both the US Open and the French Open, increasing his tally from 20 to 22 Grand Slams, and taking the top spot in the all-time men’s tennis rankings. With that French Open win, Nadal raised his Roland Garros title count to 14, cementing himself as the greatest player in that tournament’s history. (For comparison, the next-best record is Sweden’s Björn Borg with six titles—hence my point about how far ahead Nadal is in Paris.) However, since 2022, Nadal hasn’t won another Grand Slam, due both to ongoing injuries and his inability to regain top form.

Djokovic Catches Up—and Passes

Meanwhile, Djokovic, driven by immense determination, continued to raise his Grand Slam count from 17 in 2020 year by year. In 2021, taking advantage of Federer’s slump and Nadal’s injuries, Djokovic won the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon, tying both Federer and Nadal. In 2022, Djokovic won Wimbledon, while Nadal took both the US Open and the French Open, leaving Djokovic at 21 titles. But the following year, Djokovic stepped on the gas again: In 2023, with Nadal sidelined due to injury, Djokovic won the Australian Open, tying Nadal. Then he won the French Open—Nadal’s legendary tournament—bringing his total to 23 and claiming the record for most Grand Slam titles in men’s tennis. Afterwards, she won the season’s final grand slam, the US Open, increasing her total to 24, widening the gap among men and catching up with Australian tennis player Margaret Court, who has won the most grand slams among women.

(Photo: Djokovic lifting the US Open trophy in 2023 after winning his 24th Grand Slam.)

The Big Three’s 20-Year Grand Slam Hegemony

This year brought an unusual development: from Federer’s Wimbledon win in 2003 to Djokovic’s US Open victory in 2023, the “Federer–Nadal–Djokovic” trio had dominated Grand Slams. Over those 20 years (2003–2023), they won a combined 66 Grand Slam titles. But in 2024, for the first time, none of them won a Grand Slam. This has sparked the question among experts: is the era over? We’ll see next year, depending on the performance of Djokovic—or Nadal, who hasn’t yet officially retired.

Finally, even though Djokovic surpassed Nadal in Grand Slams last year, the fact that he had no Olympic gold medal remained a major talking point in the “greatest of all time” debate. Winning the Paris 2024 Olympics ended that discussion.

Djokovic winning gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics in August.

Olympic Stats

Looking at singles: Djokovic now has one gold and one bronze, Nadal has one gold, and Federer has one silver. In doubles: Federer and Nadal each have one gold. If Olympic success is part of the greatness criteria, Djokovic is no longer lacking—he even has an extra bronze.

Djokovic’s Incredible Finals Record

As a final measure, let’s look at all tournaments won. Djokovic has played in 76 Grand Slam tournaments and won 24 of them—leading in every major statistic. First, let’s examine the finals he’s reached:

Djokovic’s extraordinary stats also allowed him to achieve the distinction of spending the most time as the world’s No. 1 player.

Longest time at No. 1 overall

With a total of 428 weeks, Djokovic has held the ATP world No. 1 ranking longer than anyone else. He has been ranked No. 1 in 13 different years — a record — and has finished the year at No. 1 a record eight times. Djokovic also holds the record for the highest points ever accumulated at the top of the rankings (16,950). Here, aside from total match wins and total tournament titles (both of which Federer still leads), I’d like to share a table showing that Djokovic is ahead in every other major statistical category.

Of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, the one I’ve felt the least warmth toward has always been Djokovic. But I can sum up my feelings about him with a well-known Turkish saying:
Hit the brave man but give him his due.

Qualities I admire
So, in this piece where I give Djokovic his due, I’d also like to list the qualities I admire:

1. Among the “Big Three,” he was the least popular and, statistically, the least accomplished for years, yet he never gave up. In 2021, he surpassed Federer in Grand Slam titles, and in 2023, he overtook Nadal as well — the most important metric in tennis. Clearly, if you block out outside noise and just focus on your work, popularity doesn’t matter.

2. The reason Djokovic was less popular than Federer and Nadal, especially in his first 5–10 years, was that he often came across as aggressive and argumentative with officials. There were even criticisms in the Grand Slams that, when losing a game, he would take an extended bathroom break under some pretext to disrupt his opponent’s concentration. The controversy flared when Djokovic came back after such long breaks to turn the match around in his favor. In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he sparked an even bigger controversy by refusing to get vaccinated. Anti-vaxxers and many in Serbia supported him, while pro-vaccine groups harshly criticized him. Later that year, he traveled to Australia but was deported for not being vaccinated, triggering yet another heated debate. This provocateur behavior clashed with the very nature of tennis, known as a “gentleman’s sport.” But from 2021 onward, Djokovic seemed to turn a corner, steering clear of such incidents both on and off the court. He focused on his game — and the results followed, leaving everyone else behind statistically. This shows that even deeply ingrained negative habits can be changed.

3. In my view, Djokovic doesn’t have any single standout shots. He’s not the best server, doesn’t have the best forehand, and doesn’t have the best backhand. Nor does he stand out for his slices or variety of shot-making. His game is simply well-balanced, and his success comes from the sum of all these elements. Of course, his persistence is key: he grinds for hours to win points, fights hard to catch up when he’s behind, and works to protect his lead when he’s ahead. He never drops out of a match mentally — he battles to the very end.

4. According to all the experts, Djokovic’s greatest asset is his mental strength. He’s so resilient that, no matter how much trouble he faces during a match, he always finds a way to put it behind him and refocus on the present moment.

My curiosities for the future

Having given Djokovic his due, here are some things I wonder about:

1. Will Djokovic (or, in the unlikely case, Nadal) win another Grand Slam in 2025? If Djokovic wins even one, he’ll surpass Margaret Court — who holds the women’s record for most Grand Slam titles — and reach 25.

2. Will there be a new-generation player who can break the statistical records that make Djokovic the greatest player of all time? Personally, I have high hopes for Alcaraz and Sinner.

3. Which tournaments outside the Grand Slams will Djokovic play? For example, will he compete in the next Olympics? Will he continue winning ATP tournaments, or will he focus solely on the Slams?

4. Will he maintain his composure and end his career with fond memories in people’s minds, or will the rising dominance of younger players frustrate him into reverting to the behavior patterns of the “old Novak”?

5. When will Nadal and Djokovic retire from tennis?

No matter the answers, may tennis — and sport in general — be the winners. May tennis grow in popularity and may more people take up sports.

Note:

* Federer: 12 Final Days, the documentary covering the last 12 days of Roger Federer’s professional career, which ended at the 2022 Laver Cup, was released on Amazon Prime Video on 20 June 2024.

** Thanks in part to this legendary trio, tennis has grown in popularity over the past 20 years. But lately, a new tennis-related sport has emerged that prompts the question, “Could this take tennis’s place in popularity?” It’s called paddle — or “pickleball” in the U.S. I’ll write a future blog post about this new sport.

Tag: memoir