There are a lot of respected sports authorities out there who lean toward tabbing Novak Djokovic as the greatest player of all time, superior to Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Rod Laver and Pete Sampras.
But this week Novak Djokovic received the confirmation affirmation of his all time best status from maybe the most qualified sporting figure authority of all.
The vote happened on Instagram. As a comment on a beach training video Djokovic posted, doing footwork and sprint drills on a beach incline.
I noticed one of the comments on my feed came from NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady which stated simply: “The best.”
Brady, the gridiron superhero and architect of six Super Bowl victories for the New England Patriots (in nine Super Bowl appearances), would have a good idea of identifying the best when he sees it.
The 42 year old football icon and three-time NFL MVP signed a new contract with Tampa Bay.
Brady is the only NFL quarterback to record 200 game wins and one of only two quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl in is first year as a starter. He is widely considered by sports media, fans and insiders to be the greatest quarterback in football history.
Novak Djokovic has won 17 Grand Slam titles, 34 Masters 1000 titles and has held the ATP no. 1 ranking for 280 weeks. He also has superior head to head records versus Nadal and Federer.
Tom Brady calling Djokovic “the best” is just one single opinion but it may be the final determining vote which finally settles the GOAT debate.
JohnnyTD · June 19, 2020 at 12:23 pm
Aaah the good old GOAT debate. Those are good points in the article but i know many people for whom the slam count is the most important, about the rest we could argue all day, how important the olympic gold is, how important the WTF count is, yes, indoor requires different skills but it used to be a money event with little prestige so it doesn’t motivate the players so much, that’s why players who never won a slam won it like Davydenko, Dimitrov etc, because slam winners often don’t give 100% at the WTF. For me personally the GS count matters a lot, despite the H2H Nadal can’t be better than Fed without breaking his slam record. We also know Fed has much better stats at lots of things than Nadal but many Fed fans disappeared from tennis sites since Nadal got so close to Fed’s slam count. That also shows how much weight the GS count has.
I’m curious btw which Big 3 player you guys root for, i’m a Nadal fan (despite his technical limitations, etc) you Scoop used to have a Nadal avi somewhere if i remember rightly? Ofc that doesn’t mean he was your fav, are you rooting for Djoko now? Jon? Sam?
Scoop Malinowski · June 19, 2020 at 12:48 pm
Johnnytd, the debate may end in a couple years if Djokovic gets to 25 or whatever his limit is. Every great always has a hole in his legacy -Sampras no French, Fed no OLY singles and head to head record vs Rafa and Djokovic, Rafa head to head vs Djokovic, etc. The writing is pretty clear on the wall that Djokovic is going to pass Federer and Nadal despite the monkey wrench the virus has been in 2020. Even if Djokovic fails to win an Olympic gold medal. I’d like to see Djokovic get to 25. Why? I believe he is tbe best and like to see potential be fulfilled. I have also adored Federer and Nadal and wanted both to win at different times. But Federer’s time has passed, he’s still great but let the NEXT GEN kids have their time to shine. Federer’s presence is stunting their progression (like Serena). Nadal is still great to watch but I rarely find myself pulling for him to win. The ones I want to see win now are Djokovic, Nishioka, Moutet, Sock, Paul, Fritz, Tsitsipas, Thiem, Felix, Kyrgios (when he tries his best), Nakashima, Schwartzman, Paes, Medvedev, Opelka, F Lopez, Humbert, Kwon, Kozlov.
Sam · June 19, 2020 at 4:06 pm
‘I noticed one of the comments on my feed came from NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady which stated simply: “The best.”’
What exactly is an Instagram “feed”?
“Ofc that doesn’t mean he was your fav, are you rooting for Djoko now? Jon? Sam?”
Well, I’m less interested in this stuff than I used to be, but in my opinion, Djokovic has fewer objectionable qualities than the other two. So, I generally root for him. On the other hand, I usually don’t mind seeing lower-ranked players pull an upset. 🙂
JohnnyTD · June 20, 2020 at 12:48 am
“Nadal is still great to watch but I rarely find myself pulling for him to win.”
“Well, I’m less interested in this stuff than I used to be, but in my opinion, Djokovic has fewer objectionable qualities than the other two. So, I generally root for him. On the other hand, I usually don’t mind seeing lower-ranked players pull an upset. 🙂”
I became a Nadal fan because he was the only player who fought Fed fearlessly when all the others respected him too much. And ofc, even though you could argue that someone like Djoko is superior technique-wise, Nadal’s game is so unique with that extreme topspin, Djokovic is something like a physically more gifted Davydenko to me.
I also like to watch lower ranked players, especially the Hungarian ones, lol, last year i watched Piros playing in Kazakhstan on something that looked like mud 😂 Fucsovics is very talented but started to take tennis seriously a bit too late, hope he’ll win a few more tourneys.
Scoop Malinowski · June 20, 2020 at 9:15 am
Johnnytd; agree about Nadal, well articulated. On the external he showed Federer proper respect but on the court, none. That first win in Miami was so important, so spectacular and it set the tone for the rivalry. Though Federer claimed he had a cold and was not 100% but Nadal didn’t seem to buy that. Nadal never had too much respect for Federer, he always believed he could beat him. Yet the manner he executed his assassination of Federer was never offensive to anybody. Djokovic and Murray came next and also were able to have some early success vs Federer. As did Gilles Simon, who beat Federer the first two times they played.
JohnnyTD · June 20, 2020 at 2:37 pm
“As did Gilles Simon, who beat Federer the first two times they played.”
Problem with counterpunchers like Simon and Bouchard is that their success is short-lived, players figure them out quite soon then they’re done.
That 2019 comeback attempt of Bouchard was a failure too.
Scoop Malinowski · June 20, 2020 at 7:01 pm
Simon is a major over achiever. Skinniest guy in ATP history, skinniest legs in ATP history. Hewitt is 0-4 vs Simon I believe. Simon has accomplished a great career and beaten all the big four.
JohnnyTD · June 21, 2020 at 12:39 am
“Simon is a major over achiever. Skinniest guy in ATP history, skinniest legs in ATP history. Hewitt is 0-4 vs Simon I believe. Simon has accomplished a great career and beaten all the big four.”
For sure 👍 Fucsovics is a stud with ideal body for tennis, great technique and huge game but i will be happy if he achieves the same as Simon. Although he has slam dreams but we’ll see. He already won sets vs Djokovic and Federer, in slams too, he just can’t keep his head together for a full match. His win vs Wawrinka is his biggest one for now, and ofc he has 1 title, Geneva.
JohnnyTD · June 21, 2020 at 11:46 pm
Adria tour cancelled, Dimitrov got Covid 🤦
Scoop Malinowski · June 22, 2020 at 7:03 am
Could it be a fake positive test? Remember there is a massive amount of hate for Djokovic by the left for his anti vaccine and religious beliefs. There is ample motive to villainize him. I’m going to restrain from fully believing the Dimitrov and coric supposedly positive tests for a while. Remember question everything. And fake news is rampant.