"That's dumb" - Serena Williams' ex-coach says Novak Djokovic does not need to win 1 more Slam & overtake Margaret Court to be called the GOAT
Serena Williams' former coach, Rennae Stubbs, doesn't believe that Novak Djokovic needs to chase another Grand Slam and overtake Margaret Court's record of 24 to be labelled the GOAT.
The Serb has already amassed several records, including 10 Australian Open titles, 428 weeks at No. 1, and eight year-end No. 1 finishes, among others. At the recently concluded Paris Olympics, Djokovic added the long-awaited Olympic gold medal in men's singles to his CV.
Djokovic's effort made him the fifth player to have attained a Career Golden Slam, after Steffi Graff, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams. He will next take the court at the 2024 US Open, scheduled to start from August 26.
The Serb boasts 24 Grand Slam titles and shares the overall record with former player Margeret Court, who was the first in tennis history to achieve the feat. Stubbs, however, believes that Djokovic doesn't need to add a 25th Grand Slam title and surpass the record of Court to prove himself better than his peers.
In The Rennae Stubbs Tennis podcast, the 53-year-old termed the idea of Djokovic needing to go after a 25th Major title as 'dumb'.
"He has one thing left and that is the ultimate Grand Slam major record at 25. Because we've got the old, you know, move the goalpost Margaret Court at 24, who won like 10 Australian Opens when nobody played. But he wants that record," she said. [28.45 onwards]
Stubbs added:
"So do I think he's going to be up to win the US Open? Absolutely. Because that's the one record that he still doesn't have. I tend to think that's dumb. I don't think he needs to win another Grand Slam to say, I'm truly the greatest male or female."
Rafael Nadal on Novak Djokovic - "I would say he is the greatest of all time"
Many believe Rafael Nadal shares the podium with Roger Federer and Djokovic as the GOATs of tennis. But Nadal himself believes the Serb is the best player in history.
"I would say Djokovic is the greatest of all time. The numbers say so, and to me, he is the best,” the Spaniard said a few weeks ago on the Spanish program ‘El Objetivo' (via Bolavip).
Djokovic is the only man in tennis history to win all four Majors at once across three different surfaces. He is also the only male player to have achieved a Career Golden Masters and a triple Career Grand Slam.