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Novak Djokovic’s case for being the GOAT (the greatest of all time) was largely made after his 23rd Grand Slam title, former world number one Andy Roddick believes.
The Serbian defeated Casper Rudd 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 in the 2023 French Open final on Sunday to win his third title at Roland Garros, also overtaking Rafael Nadal in the Slam race.
Andy Roddick confirms that Novak Djokovic, the sole leader among men in the Open Era, has earned the right to name the goat. Taking to Twitter after the world number three’s victory, the American noted that any argument still being made against Djokovic can only be based on feelings rather than concrete numbers.
Roddick went on to congratulate the 23-time Grand Slam champion on the achievement, and asserted that it was crazy even to think of the number.
Roddick said, “It’s hard to make any numbers-based argument against Novak Djokovic being the better! If you’re making an argument against it, it’s probably based on feelings, not scoring. Congratulations on the 23! Crazy to think that’s possible.”
Interestingly, when a fan asked Andy Roddick who was the best player in his opinion, without taking numbers into account, he chose Roger Federer, stating that the Swiss was the best he had played against.
Although the former world number one has a 5-4 lead going head-to-head against the 36-year-old, he admitted he hadn’t faced him during his prime and, therefore, couldn’t choose. Djokovic, in all honesty.
“Roger was the best I’ve played with…… I also missed most of Prime Novak so it wouldn’t settle too much,” said Roddick.
“I am fortunate to have won 23 Grand Slams in my life.” – Novak Djokovic
Speaking at the presentation ceremony after his victory over Casper Rudd in the 2023 French Open final, Novak Djokovic declared that he was “more than lucky” to win 23 Grand Slam titles in his career.
Described as feeling “incredible”, the Serb was also overcome with emotion about the fact that his record-breaking victory came in Paris, in a tournament that had been the hardest for him to win over the years.
“I am lucky in my life to win 23 Grand Slams. It feels incredible. It is no coincidence that I won the 23rd Grand Slam title in Paris because this tournament is the hardest tournament of all of my career. Lots of reasons, on and off the field. And I must say I am proud and delighted to be here in this very special court.”
Thanks to his title run, Novak Djokovic will reclaim the world number one spot from Carlos Alcaraz on Monday when the rankings are updated.
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