"I think Novak Djokovic is the GOAT, he does things nobody is willing to do" - Denis Kudla
Some of the participants at the ongoing Hall of Fame Open in Newport recently gave their thoughts on the GOAT debate, with Denis Kudla throwing his weight behind Novak Djokovic. The American also believes it would be fair to label the Serb "the greatest athlete of all time".
Kudla, who lost to the World No. 1 in the third round of Wimbledon, believes the Serb has done enough to be crowned the GOAT. The American thinks Novak Djokovic could own "all of the records" by the time he calls it a day, but questioned if the scenario would be different if Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal were younger.
"I think he’s (Novak Djokovic) the greatest of all time," Kudla said. "I think he will surpass all of the records by a lot when all is said and done. He just plays the game so incredibly well. It would have been interesting to see if the ages were a little different. If Fed was the youngest, or Rafa was the youngest."
Denis Kudla stressed how the Serb "deserves" to be the GOAT given his overall contribution to the sport. The 28-year-old further argued Djokovic is not only the greatest tennis player ever but the greatest athlete of all time.
“I think Novak deserves to be the GOAT, he is the GOAT, he does things nobody is willing to do," he added. "And I don’t think he’s just the GOAT in tennis. He could be the greatest athlete of all time."
Fellow Newport participant Alex Bolt, however, was not so direct with his response. The Aussie believes it is difficult to choose a single player out of the Big 3 as each of them has achieved a tremendous amount in the sport.
"All three of those guys — Novak, Rafa and Fed — they’re all GOATs in their own right,” Bolt said. “It’s really hard to single out one of them. We’re lucky to be in a generation where we have three of the greatest players to ever play.”
Two years ago, I would have said Federer, but you can’t argue with Novak Djokovic's numbers: Mitchell Krueger
World No. 195 Mitchell Krueger, who lost in the opening round at Newport, pointed out how three players winning 20 Grand Slams each is not a scenario many had envisioned after Pete Sampras retired with 14 Majors.
"If you asked me back when Sampras retired, 'Would anyone beat 14?' I think pretty much everyone would say that would never happen," said Krueger. "And now you have three guys at 20."
The American also threw his weight behind Novak Djokovic in the GOAT debate, but admitted he would not have done so a few years ago when Roger Federer owned most of the records.
“If you had asked me two years ago, I would have said 100% (Federer) — no doubt in my mind," Krueger added. "But you can’t really argue with the numbers (of Novak Djokovic) and the facts."
According to Krueger, Nadal is the best on clay and Federer on grass, while Djokovic excels on all surfaces.
“It’s so hard to say, because on clay I’d still say Rafa is the best player, and I would still say on grass Fed … Fed in his prime," Krueger said. "And then you have Djokovic, who is basically all-surface."