"I like my name" - Novak Djokovic brushes off GOAT talk after bagging historic 23rd Grand Slam
Novak Djokovic didn't want to talk about being the Greatest Of All-Time (GOAT) even after winning the 23rd Grand Slam title of his career.
Novak Djokovic won his third Roland Garros title after defeating Casper Ruud in the 2023 final, 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5, on Sunday.
Tennis presenter and former professional Barbara Schett spoke with Djokovic later on in an on-court interview, joking about whether she should call him "the GOAT" now. The Serb was quick to react, saying:
"You can call me Novak! I like my name!"
The 36-year-old explained what the GOAT title means to him, saying that he considered it a "compliment" for all the hard work he has put in this year.
"I take [the GOAT] as a compliment of course for all the achievements. This one today came as a crown for all the hard work this year. Two Slams - I said before the season started that I wanted to peak in Slams, I wanted to play my best tennis there," Djokovic continued.
Djokovic then stated that the French Open has always been the most difficult Slam for him, remembering some of the tough losses that came in the past.
"I can't be more proud or more thankful that again I managed to win Roland Garros, that came as a historic 23. Roland Garros has always been the toughest tournament for me to win out of all four Slams."
"I failed several times at the last step, mostly against Rafa, against Stan in the finals. 2016 was one of the greatest moments I've experienced on the court, winning here, 2021, then this year again. I don't know what to expect when I play on clay!" Djokovic remarked.
Novak Djokovic after French Open title: I doubted myself deep down inside
Novak Djokovic admitted that even he had some doubts prior to the 2023 French Open, after having one of the worst clay court seasons of his career in the lead-up.
Djokovic didn't manage to get through the quarterfinals at any of the three tournaments he played before Roland Garros, losing unexpectedly in Monte-Carlo, Banja Luka, and Rome.
After beating Casper Ruud in the final of the 2023 French Open, he was honest with what the expectations were before the competition began.
"When you're one of the top players, you're expected to win every single match, so every single match you lose is a scandal, it's a tragedy. I've lost more matches than I won coming into Roland Garros," Djokovic told Barbara Schett in the post-match interview for Eurosport.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged that he was having doubts deep within himself caused by the subpar results.
"There were a lot of doubts from people, myself deep down inside, I tried to work with my team and said Grand Slam is where I want to peak... I left all the tournaments behind me. Coming into French I felt good," he added.
Even though Djokovic didn't have to play any five-setter during the tournament, he opined that just playing in a best-of-five setting suited him best.
"I love competing in best of five, and most of the players know that it's going to be a really high mountain to climb to beat me in best of five and I like that feeling!" Djokovic concluded.