Yes, Novak Djokovic is the undisputed GOAT after winning the Olympic gold in Paris 2024
There was hardly any doubt about the above statement even before Novak Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (3) 7-6 (2) in the final at the Paris Olympics to win his first Olympic gold medal. It was the only piece missing in the edifice the 37-year-old has built over the course of his two-decade-long career.
However, now that Djokovic has won the elusive gold medal, which both Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, among his contemporaries, have also won, it can be officially proclaimed that the Serb is the greatest to have played tennis.
Djokovic's records will take some beating
For the record, Djokovic has won 24 Grand Slam titles, which is two more than Nadal's tally and four more than Federer's. He has also won 40 Masters 1000 titles, which is four more than Nadal's total and a good 12 more than Federer’s tally.
The Serb has also won each Grand Slam at least thrice, a feat no man has achieved till date. He has also accumulated more than 420 weeks as the world No. 1, which is more than 100 above Federer's tally and twice as much as Nadal's tally.
While these statistics are familiar to dedicated tennis fans, they serve as a stark reminder of Djokovic's unparalleled dominance. When laid bare, these figures undeniably establish Djokovic as a tier above his contemporaries.
Djokovic showed that he can still match a much younger player
Alcaraz is a good 16 years younger than Djokovic. He thrashed the Serb in the recent Wimbledon final. But by frequently going to the net and failing to attack Alcaraz's backhand, Djokovic himself ruined his chances in that particular match.
However, the 37-year-old did not commit the same mistake in the gold medal match at the Olympics. By relentlessly targeting Alcaraz's backhand with his potent inside-out forehand and crosscourt backhand, Djokovic neutralized the Spaniard's formidable forehand, disrupting his rhythm and preventing him from dictating play.
Moreover, that tactic also forced Alcaraz to commit errors off his backhand. It was a close match by all means, but Djokovic had enough desire and skills to prevail in both tiebreaks. Beating Alcaraz in his current form is not an easy task at all, and very few players in the world are capable of doing that at the moment.
None of the other contenders can match Djokovic in terms of overall accomplishment
Djokovic's accomplishments undoubtedly place him above any tennis player in history. As previously noted, his statistics surpass those of Nadal and Federer, even when disregarding the evident clay court advantage in Nadal's record, highlighted by his 14 French Open titles. Federer, on the other hand, did not have to play all-time greats during the initial years of his career and amassed a lot of titles during that phase. 12 of his 20 Grand Slam titles came in or before 2007.
One can then shift focus to the women's game, where two formidable contenders emerge: Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. Women's tennis can hardly be compared to the men's game, but even if we do that for argument's sake, we find that both Graf’s (22) and Williams (23) trail Djokovic in terms of Grand Slams won, and neither achieved the 400-week milestone as world No. 1.
Margaret Court has won 24 Grand Slams among women, but a significant portion of her victories occurred before the Open Era in 1968, when tennis transitioned to a professional sport, increasing competition. A similar argument can be made for Rod Laver among men.
Winning trophies and titles is nothing new for Djokovic. However, the Serb's unbridled emotion after winning the gold medal showed how much it meant to him. It has probably gone a long way towards cementing Djokovic's status as the greatest male tennis player of all time. Even the sceptics will now have to acknowledge that obvious fact.