Novak Djokovic makes earnest admission about whether he thinks of himself as the GOAT

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic recently made an earnest admission about whether he considers himself to be the GOAT of tennis.

Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer have dominated the sport for the past two decades, with the trio dubbed the 'Big 3' and sharing a whopping 66 Grand Slam titles. There have been numerous debates over the years about who is the greatest of all time (GOAT) among them, with the Serb being the most recent one to weigh in.

L'Equipe has recently named Djokovic 'Champion of Champions' ahead of other sporting legends such as F1 driver Max Verstappen, American sprinter Noah Lyles and others. The 36-year-old told the French Daily afterwards that no matter what he says regarding the GOAT debate, it will be controversial either way, so he prefers to leave it to others to decide.

"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," 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.

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Novak Djokovic backs Rafael Nadal to win Grand Slam titles in his 2024 comeback

The legendary duo pictured at the 2022 French Open

On December 27, Novak Djokovic played an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the young Spaniard came out on top.

Before the match, the Serb spoke with the media and gave his opinion on Rafael Nadal's 2024 comeback, saying that while some might rule the 22-time Grand Slam champion out; he believes his arch-rival is fully prepared to win more Majors.

"I always expect him to play at his best, to be honest," Djokovic said. "Many times, they’ve signed him out, they’ve done that with me as well. But we’ve proved them wrong. He’s not a kind of a player that will come back to the tour just to play — let’s say — on a medium level, play a few matches."

"He wants to win titles, he wants to be the best, that’s why he is who he is: a legend of our sport. I’m sure that his training and preparation is done with an intention to win a Grand Slam," the 24-time Grand Slam champion added.

Nadal will begin his 2024 campaign at the Brisbane International, which runs from December 31 to January 7, while Djokovic will make his tournament debut with Serbia at the United Cup, taking place from December 29 to January 7.