"Novak Djokovic is the greatest of all time, history books show that" - Indian tennis legend Leander Paes
Retired Indian tennis legend Leander Paes reckons Novak Djokovic is undisputedly the greatest player of all time.
Djokovic, 36, is widely regarded as one of the best players to have graced the sport. The Serb is the all-time Grand Slam singles leader (24 titles) in the Open Era, and also holds the record for most Masters 1000 titles (40) and ATP Finals (7).
Despite being on the wrong side of 30, Djokovic recently celebrated a record 400th week as No. 1. He is over 2000 points clear of Carlos Alcaraz, the next player in the ATP rankings. Djokovic's latest Major win at the US Open this year extended his record of most Grand Slam titles after the age of 30 to 12.
In an interview in Mumbai, Paes fielded a variety of questions from the media, one of which was about who the best player among the 'Big 3' - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic - was. Paes responded that for him, Djokovic is "by far" the greatest of all time.
"I started playing when (Bjorn] Borg and (John) McEnroe were still playing, and no one ever thought that Borg’s five Wimbledon record could be beaten," he said, as reported by Forbes. "Until Federer came around and he won eight Wimbledons, and 20 Grand Slams. And then Nadal bettered Federer's Grand Slam record, by winning 22, and winning 14 titles at the French Open alone."
"And then out comes Djokovic," Paes added. "This Serbian boy who is a great athlete with a phenomenal mind - for me, by far the greatest of all time. Why? Because the history books show that. He has won 24 Grand Slams and counting…it doesn’t look like he’s stopping. This is insane."
Djokovic reached all four Grand Slam finals in 2021 and 2023, winning three on both occasions.
Novak Djokovic to open 2024 season at United Cup
Novak Djokovic is set to open his 2024 season at the United Cup event Down Under, which kicks off on December 29. After that, he will launch his quest for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title.
With COVID-19 restrictions on unvaccinated players no longer in place, the World No. 1 is also expected to appear at Indian Wells and Miami for the first time since 2019. He's then expected to play the full claycourt swing, starting with Monte Carlo.
Novak Djokovic will look to win his first Olympic gold in Paris after concluding his campaign at Wimbledon. The Serb lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Alexander Zverev at the Tokyo Games two years ago.