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It was bound to happen eventually and now he has finally got it.
Novak Djokovic deservedly won the French Open on Sunday as he achieved the ‘career grand slam’. He defeated British hope Andy Murray in four sets (3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4) to confirm his status as one of the greatest athletes in the modern era.
His achievement makes him just the fifth man in the history of the sport to complete such a feat, as he joined the likes of Rod Laver and Andre Agassi, as well as current legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, to have won all majors.
Now a winner of 12 grand slam events including six Australian Open crowns, Djokovic is without doubt among tennis’ elite.
But today I pose the question – is he on track to leave a greater legacy on the sport than Roger and Rafa?
In other words, when he retires, will Novak overtake Rafa and Roger as the second greatest tennis player of all time behind Rod ‘Rocket’ Laver?
Regrettably I like many other so-called sport gurus of today’s world never got the chance to see the great Rod Laver in action.
Though from all reports, archives and opinions he and Roy Emerson without doubt ruled the tennis world through the 60s.
Rocket all up won 11 grand slam titles, but achieved something no one else has done in the history of the sport – the calendar year grand slam, in 1962 and 1969.
It’s a widely debated topic – but in my opinion, due to his sheer number of titles (200), long-lasting win/loss record and legacy that he left on the sport through the professional circuit and tournaments such as the Davis Cup, I rate Rocket as the GOAT.
But onto the real topic of conversation – Djokovic versus the modern greats of Nadal and Federer.
Stats would suggest that Federer and Nadal are still on top – but clearly Djokovic is quickly catching up on them.
Admittedly, Federer still has five more grand slams than the Serb (with 17 majors), while Rafa sits just three in front due largely to his dominance at Roland Garros since 2005.
Yet since 2010, the superiority that Roger possessed (and then eventually he and Rafa possessed) over the sport has diminished significantly.
We all know the brilliance of Djokovic since the beginning of the decade as well as the plague of injuries that have hit both champions – hindering their chances at winning successive grand slam titles.
It’s crazy to think that Novak has won 11 majors since 2010 to Federers two, while five of Rafa’s eight majors since 2010, have come at RG.
Subsequently Novak has shown his ability to win on all surfaces – but it’s not just Grand Slams where the champ has left a legacy.
Djokovic possesses a win-loss record of 83 per cent as it currently stands (730 wins to 149 losses). This type of ratio defies belief and sits just above Federer’s long-lasting record of 81 per cent (1070 wins to 242 losses).
In terms of career titles, Federer has 23 more, yet his time is beginning to run out. Nadal will eventually be overtaken by Djokovic in terms of career titles, as he leads currently by just four.
Davis Cup is another really interesting point of comparison between the three champions. Djokovic and Federer both hold one cup each, while Nadal has been instrumental in all four of Spain’s Davis Cup titles since 2004.
But when talking about the best the discussion should go beyond just stats. Times change and different influences can impact the success of a career whether it be the competition around a player, injuries, personal difficulties or changes it support team.
All three of these champions have had golden eras in which the sport will remember them.
In essence, Roger Federer took control of tennis through the mid 2000s, as the gap between him and the rest of the field grew particularly in 2006 and 2007. There are a few tournaments that particularly stick out in my mind.
The 2007 Australian Open was just a master class as Roger went through the entirety of the tournament without losing a set. He became the first man to not drop a set in a grand slam tournament since Bjorn Borg in 1980. Challenged by the rise of Nadal that he could never beat on clay, Roger still managed win Wimbledon six times in seven years, including epic wins in the final of 2007 against Nadal and 2009 against Roddick.
Nadal has left a legacy as the most dominant clay-courter we have ever seen, not just at Roland Garros, but Monte Carlo and Barcelona as well. Arguably the best patch of his career came in 2008-2009, where he won the French (2008), Wimbledon (2008) and the Australian Open (2009) to announce himself as a serious player on all surfaces.
His dominance at the French has remained, yet his weaknesses particularly on hard court and grass have been revealed by not only the modern greats, but veterans of the circuit as well, shown by his surprisingly early exits from grand slams in the last few years.
Yet despite the legacy’s of these incredible players – Novak Djokovic has been able to create a mighty career for himself.
In an era where tennis looked up to the might of Rafa and Roger, Djokovic has been able to be dominant in the presence of tennis royalty.
After winning his first title in 2008, Djokovic would struggle until 2011, which can only be called an incredible year in his tennis career. Titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open as well as five ATP Masters titles and a rise to World No. 1, Djokovic announced himself as a potential great.
Since then we have seen the Djoker challenged and tested time and time again.
Andy Murray has been in terrific from since his first title in 2012, always around the mark, giving himself a chance right at the pointy end of grand slams.
Yet the fact of the matter is that Novak has continually got the better of him when it’s really mattered.
Apart from the 2012 US Open and Wimbledon 2013, Djokovic has beaten Murray in every other Grand Slam final, leading that ledger 5-2.
As well as Murray (and Rafa at RG), Stan Wawrinka has posed as a threat to Novak beating him at the Australian Open (2014) and the French Open (2015).
Yet once again Djokovic’s response to this challenger has been formidable. Since that loss at the French in 2015, he hasn’t lost at Grand Slam level.
I think it’s time to acknowledge that we are in the presence of one of the best, the sport has ever seen.
It’s concerning that Djokovic is only 29 and that he still has lots of tennis left in him. It looks inevitable that he will go past Rafa in career GS and it looks like he will get close to Roger as well.
I’ve called Rocket the GOAT and I will stick to that claim.
But I think we have a close second who is on the verge of something very, very special – the calendar grand slam.
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