"Novak Djokovic doesn't count, he's 40" - Frances Tiafoe makes bold claim about Serb amid Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner dominance

Frances Tiafoe heaped praise on Novak Djokovic, but dismissed his chances of being the "third guy" who could challenge the prevailing dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in men's tennis.

In an interview with Olympics.com, Tiafoe said he is motivated to become a challenger to Alcaraz and Sinner, who have shared the last eight Majors between them, along with a host of other ATP 500 and Masters 1000 events.

"There's a couple more guys who've got to join them. I'm not saying beat them, but there's got to be (other) guys - and that motivates me. I’m like, yo, who's that third guy? Who's that fourth guy?" the American said.

Djokovic has been the only real challenger to the Spaniard and the Italian at the Slams, having reached the semifinals at all four Majors this year. However, Tiafoe believes the Serb's age makes it difficult for him to stay competitive with the younger guns.

"Novak (Djokovic) doesn't count," Tiafoe said. "He’s 40. I love him, but he doesn't count. He’s 40. He's a GOAT, he's the best player of all time. He's not with those guys."

Frances Tiafoe hopes to emulate what Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray did back in the days of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's dominance

Frances Tiafoe at a Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 press conference (Source: Getty)

In the same interview, Frances Tiafoe recalled how Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were the two players who began to regularly challenge the dominance of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the late 2000s.

"Who is that other guy or two to be there and maybe beat these guys?" Tiafoe questioned. "That would be the quote-unquote Novak and (Andy) Murray - before Novak went and did what he did. Who are those guys? And there's a bunch of guys who can be that guy, right? So that's really motivating me. It's like, ‘See big picture.’ That's motivating."

Tiafoe has lacked consistency this season. He has made just one final and dropped to No. 29 in the world. His struggles continued in Tokyo, as he was ousted from the tournament in the very first round by Marton Fucsovics. Tiafoe's frustrations boiled over, and he took his anger out on his racket, smashing it four times.