"Novak Djokovic is the biggest champion tennis has ever had on & off the court" - Tunisian ATP player Aziz Dougaz

Tunisian tennis player Aziz Dougaz has described Novak Djokovic as the "biggest champion on and off the court" the sport has ever had, hailing the 24-time Grand Slam champion for his efforts to improve conditions for lower-ranked players.

Djokovic has lobbied intensely in recent years for increases in prize money at the lower levels of the sport. The world No. 2 has also co-founded the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) which has been working to highlight a range of issues tennis players face.

"I think for me, Novak Djokovic is the biggest champion tennis has ever had on and off the court. When I say this, for me, a real champion and a true champion is one who has an impact on his sport and on future generations," Dougaz said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.

"What Novak Djokovic has been trying to do is something he doesn't have to do. He's been No. 1 in the world. He has had all the success someone can ever wish for. Even with all that, he's looking down and trying to improve tennis and actually have a positive impact on the future generations, which I think most players have never tried to do," he added.

The World No. 228 continued:

"I think he's the first one who has been pushing for the lower ranked players and is trying to improve the tennis system. I think most players are super grateful for that."

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Aziz Dougaz on sharing space with idol Novak Djokovic: "It's a dream come true"

Aziz Dougaz at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open

Dougaz, who peaked at No. 214 in the world rankings last June and narrowly missed a spot in the qualifying draw for this year's US Open, idolized Djokovic and Rafael Nadal while growing up.

While he has not had the chance to catch Nadal in some of the recent Grand Slam events where he participated in the qualifiers, Dougaz revealed that he did run into Djokovic and described that as a "dream come true."

"I haven't had the chance to meet Rafael Nadal. Since I started to play the Grand Slam qualies, he's been injured, mostly. I haven't been lucky to see him or to share any space with him yet," Dougaz told Sportskeeda.

"For me, as a kid, I was watching Djokovic and dreaming about one day playing those tournaments. And then you find yourself in a Grand Slam and the person next to you is Djokovic in the gym or walking around in the restaurant. It's a dream come true," he added.

The Tunisian continued:

"That's given me so much motivation and strength to keep fighting for my goals because tennis gets extremely tough. I have maybe, in front of me, maybe another eight years of career where I want to push as much as I can and reach as far as I can."