"Novak Djokovic could give me 1 & remain the GOAT" - Andrea Petkovic on not winning Major title despite sharing birth year with Maria Sharapova & Serb
Former German tennis player Andrea Petkovic jokingly remarked on her lack of a Grand Slam title while recounting her exploits from her birthday weekend, which included witnessing Novak Djokovic win the 2023 US Open title.
Petkovic, a former World No. 9, celebrated her 36th birthday on Saturday, September 9, the day before Djokovic made history by winning his record 24th Grand Slam title after defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final of the New York Major.
The German shared a series of pictures on social media and expressed satisfaction over how her birthday weekend unfolded. Her celebrations featured time spent at the beach, an interview with Maria Sharapova and witnessing Djokovic clich his fourth US Open title.
"My birthday weekend went just as planned: went to the beach, interviewed @mariasharapova , got a cake and watched novak win 🏆," she captioned her post on Instagram.
Petkovic also mentioned that she shared her birth year with Djokovic and Sharapova and joked about being the odd one out as she was the only one without a Major title among them.
The 36-year-old hilariously suggested that even if the Serb was to generously give her one of his 24 Grand Slam titles, he would undoubtedly retain his status as the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time).
"Maria, novak and me were all born in 1987, the same year dirty dancing was released. make of that what you will. one of us does NOT have a major title. @djokernole could give me one of his and still remain the GOAT," she added.
She concluded her post on a humorous note, joking about approaching a "midlife crisis" as inched closer to her 40th birthday.
"Ever so closer to the BIG FOUR ZERO and a midlife crisis. but not today, satan, not today!" she concluded.
"The odds were pretty much against me, I owe a lot to my family" - Novak Djokovic on becoming the first player in the Open Era to win 24 Slams
With his win over Daniil Medvedev in the 2023 US Open final, Novak Djokovic became the became the first player in the Open Era to win 24 Grand Slam titles, surpassing Serena Williams' record of 23.
Having already held the record for most Grand Slam singles titles among men, the Serb further extended his lead over arch-rivals Rafael Nadal, who holds 22 Major titles, and Roger Federer, who has 20.
Following his win, Djokovic graciously attributed his success to his parents, Srdjan and Dijana. He expressed his gratitude for their unwavering support and the various sacrifices they made on his behalf.
"The odds were pretty much against me and my family, but, you know, we did it. I say 'we,' because I owe a lot to my family, to my parents who sacrificed so much for me to be here. And that's not a cliché. I really mean it," he said in his post-match press conference.