If Martina Navratilova is greater than Novak Djokovic then Margaret Court is the GOAT, says tennis journalist sarcastically
Sports journalist Sam Street has taken a potshot at the allegedly Novak Djokovic-hating media for placing the Serb lower than Martina Navratilova in the all-time great conversation because of his lack of doubles success. Street opined that, by that logic, Margaret Court would be ahead of Djokovic and Navratilova because of her staggering doubles success in addition to her singles accomplishments.
Djokovic is widely regarded as one of the best tennis players in history due to his rich haul of titles. However, many believe he doesn't get the kind of love and respect that his success warrants.
The Serb is level with Rafael Nadal (22), another all-time great, atop the men's Grand Slam singles leaderboard. Djokovic got there last month by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas for his 10th Australian Open title.
Compared to Navratilova and Court, however, Djokovic hasn't had much of a doubles career. Unlike the aforementioned duo, who have won multiple Grand Slam titles in the doubles arena, Djokovic has just one career doubles title, and is 1-5 at Majors.
Navratilova, meanwhile, has won an Open Era record 167 singles titles and 177 in doubles. She's one of three players in history - all female - to have won the Career Box Set (singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at all four Grand Slams).
Also among the trio is Court, who completed the accomplishment twice -- once in the Open Era and once before that.
In that context, Street tweeted:
"If Martina Navratilova is greater than Novak Djokovic because doubles titles have to be included as well then Margaret Court is the greatest player of all time, and I don't think tennis journalists want to go there no matter how much they hate Novak."
If Martina Navratilova is greater than Novak Djokovic because doubles titles have to be included as well then Margaret Court is the greatest player of all time, and I don't think tennis journalists want to go there no matter how much they hate Novak.
Margaret Court is often criticized for her archaic views on religion and homosexuality, and many tennis journalists refuse to bracket her among the sport's greatest. Moreover, the fact that 11 of Court's 24 singles Slam titles were won at the Australian Open at a time when many top players didn't play the tournament, is also held against her.
Novak Djokovic is least loved among Big-3, says Fabio Fognini
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic are collectively called the 'Big-3' of tennis because of their stellar accomplishments.
They're the three all-time Grand Slam title leaders in the men's category, with 20, 22 and 22 titles respectively. The same is also the case in Masters 1000s, with the Serb (38) leading Nadal (36) and Federer (28).
Moreover, Federer and Djokovic (six apiece) are the two most successful players in ATP Finals history.
15 years later, it still means everything 💙
@DjokerNole • #AusOpen • #AO2023 https://t.co/bF2nHxT35h
Djokovic enjoys a winning head-to-head record against his Big-3 colleagues, leading Federer 27-23 and Nadal 30-29. Nevertheless, Italian player Fabio Fognini reckons the 35-year-old is the "least loved" among the trio, telling Corriere dello Sport:
"Nole is the strongest and the numbers prove it, but he is also the least loved of the big 3. It is difficult to find a suitable adjective for him. Last year, he did not play two Slams and four Masters 1000, but still managed to qualify for the ATP Finals."