The Serb won his 23rd Grand Slam and achieved a new mark in the sport. Horacio de la Peña appreciates what Nole has done and ranks him as the greatest of all time.
Consecration. It is the obtaining of a new Roland Garros trophy for Novak Djokovic. This seems redundant, especially when talking about the Serbian, which At 36, he continues to immerse himself in the history of tennis and expand his career as a winner . This Sunday, beat Casper Ruud and prevailed in the French contest, surpassing Rafael Nadal in the number of Grand Slam titles. 23 against 22 from the Spaniards. The most successful in history.
Nole stomped on the Philippe Chatrier and put in his best performance. And it was not easy. In the lead was a rival hungry for glory who wanted to put his misfortune in the Grand Slam final behind him. It was a difficult stumbling block. However, the Norwegian could do nothing and he falls for the fifth consecutive time against a player who adds scrolls in his candidacy as the best in history .
“I don’t want to say I’m the best, because I feel like it’s a disrespect to all the greats champions at different times of our sport, which played out in a completely different way than it does today. I feel like every great champion of their own generation has left a great mark, a legacy and that paved the way for us to be able to play this sport on such a big world stage. So I leave those kinds of discussions about who is the greatest to someone else,” the Serb said.
However, for several stars and former tennis figures, Djoker is already the greatest. “Novak Djokovic is the GOAT” published Russian kafelnikov . like in switzerland Wawrinka , who also took to Twitter to dedicate applause and a goat emoji to congratulate Nole. While Victoria Azarenka For his part, he assured that it was the greatest mental strength ever demonstrated by an athlete.
The victory of the native of Belgrade was without appeal. Achieving his third Coupe des Mousquetaires ensured him again number one in the ATP rankings , a seat he took from Carlos Alcaraz, whom he defeated in the semifinals of the contest. This triumph expands his footprint and allows him to continue breaking records in white sport. NOW, he would go for his eighth Wimbledon and return to the US Open in search of revenge, trying to win all four Grand Slams in the same year.
recordings
Djokovic is experiencing further success in his award-winning career and continues to break records. This Monday he emerged once again as the best tennis player in the world showing that it is more than valid. In this category, he is already the one who holds the most weeks as number one, with 387 . Besides, is the one who has finished a year at the top of the ATP rankings the most times, with seven (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2021).
But the brands don’t stop there. On the clay court that made Rafael Nadal so happy, the Serb won his twenty-third Grand Slam. He precisely left behind the Manacorí, who has 22, and Roger Federer, who has 20, and He became the male tennis player with the most majors in history . Besides, He became the only tennis player in the Open Era to win this type of event at least three times.
Nole also matched what was done by Serena Williams. Now the two are the tennis players with the most of those Open Era titles, with 23 . However, the European was just one trophy away from the overall record held by Margaret Court, including just 11 in the Era Open.
Your brand is not only in the majors. In Masters 1000, he is also the most successful . He is 38 years old and exceeds the Balearic Islands by two. The Swiss, meanwhile, appears a little further back with 28. Now he is chasing the mark of Jimmy Connors, who holds the greatest number of titles obtained. The American has 109, six less than Federer. For his part, the Serb has 94, like Ivan Lendl.
The biggest?
Nole’s legacy is irrefutable. He has been for years, but the more time passes, the more reasons he adds to be considered the best tennis player in history. Gradually, in general opinion, his name overtakes Federer and Nadal. There are plenty of arguments .
For some, even the debate over who is the greatest of all time is over: “It’s the best ever », stresses categorically Horacio de la Peña, by way of introduction. “He is 36 years old and has won both Grand Slam tournaments (of the year). It’s impressive, it’s an animal “, he added, in conversation with Jock .
El Pulga also values what was done by the era when the Serb did it: “Margaret Court, for example, won 24 Grand Slam tournaments, but with other players, in another era. Djokovic won 23 with Federer and Nadal at the same time . I even think he gave them two. The US Open where he hits the linesman with a ball (2020) and the one in Australia that goes wrong because of the Covid (2022). In addition, he is the one who has finished the year the most times number one, the one who has spent the most weeks as number one, the one who has the most Masters 1000, has a positive record against both”.
The Buenos Aires native breaks down another important point that Nole has in favor, compared to the biggest rivals of his career. He surpasses them both if we talk about duels between them. He is four games ahead of Wollerau (27 against 23). During this time, the clashes against the manacorí are tighter, since it only exceeds it by one (30 against 29).
“the debate is over . Of course, one thing is the best and another is the one you like the most. In the tastes there is nothing written and it is personal. You have to respect it, but numbers are numbers. Really, I’m happy, surprised at what he’s doing and I love being alive to have seen him, to have seen the great Roger Federer and the great Rafael Nadal. The competition is between them three and no one else. I think Djokovic is better, but I take my hat off to all three, they are geniuses “, he condemned.
De la Peña appreciates the legacy that members of the Big Three have and ranks them above any player that has ever existed. Patricio Cornejo is in that line, but he’s not as forceful in choosing one over the other : “They are all three in the fight. Nadal has won 14 Roland Garros. It’s brutal. Who did this?, is to be considered. If we start to put everything on the scale, difficult to decide for only one. One will say that Nadal, the other that Federer. There is a lot to review. I wouldn’t dare to say which was the best. Without a doubt there is the fight “, he said, in dialogue with El Deportivo.
Although he prefers Nadal, he points out that the equality they maintain prevents him from opting for one in particular: “If I have to choose the one I like the most, it’s Nadal. I like the posture he has on the pitch, what he shows, his body attitude. He is the one who motivated me the most, I like his attitude. He gave me a lot. Djokovic is also extraordinary, he is a phenomenon. (…) But that there is everything to consider in the balance. We are talking about three players who are above all the rest. They are aliens and they are on equal footing “, concluded the national tennis player.
Track to El Deportivo
Source: Latercera
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
