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Tennis fans recently reacted to Novak Djokovic's perspective on the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) debate.
The Serb recently spoke to French daily L'Équipe, where he shared his thoughts on the GOAT debate. This debate aims to determine the greatest player in the sport, with many considering Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer as the three main contenders.
Many consider the World No. 1 to be the GOAT due to his slew of records, which includes an unprecedented 24 Grand Slam title wins. When asked about his stance on the matter, the 36-year-old mentioned that he could offer three possible answers to the ongoing debate.
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"We can provide three answers. The first: 'I am the best.' If we think that, we will say: 'How arrogant he is! He doesn't respect others.' The second answer is to say: 'I don't think I'm the greatest,' while showing complete humility, which is possible," Novak Djokovic said (translated from French).
"And the third: 'I am who I am, I am proud of what I have accomplished, but I respect other eras and all opinions and I leave the GOAT debate to others.' This is my answer," he added.
Fans were delighted to witness the Serb's humility and consequently took to social media to express their opinions regarding his stance. One fan stated that Novak Djokovic's response was so diplomatic and politically correct that he could potentially be a leader for his home country, Serbia.
"This guy could really become the leader of Serbia if he wanted," a fan posted on Reddit.
One fan expressed that the 24-time Grand Slam champion's response solidified his superiority in the ongoing GOAT debate.
"Novak just showed you why he is above the debate," the fan posted.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
Novak Djokovic looks back on his 2023 season: "I managed to peak at the right tournaments, at the right time"
Novak Djokovic had a brilliant 2023 season. He won seven titles this year, including three Grand Slams: the Australian Open, the French Open, and the US Open. He also concluded the year as the World No. 1 after his win at the ATP Finals.
At a press conference during the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin, the Serb said that 2023 was one of his finest seasons, adding that he felt "dominant" on the tour.
"It's definitely one of the best seasons. I mean, I had couple of years, I think three times, that I won three out of four slams in a season, like 2011, 2015. In those years, I won more matches. I mean, I played more tournaments. I was really, I mean, feeling very dominant on the tour," he said.
Djokovic said that he was happy with his performance because he "managed to peak at the right tournaments".
"It's quite different circumstances this year comparing to all the other years because I played, what, 10, 11 tournaments this year. I played very well - least of anybody. I just managed to peak at the right tournaments, at the right time. That's what matters to me really," he added.
Djokovic is set to represent Team Serbia at the United Cup, which commences on Friday (29 December) in Sydney.
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