“I Wouldn’t Say the Best…”: Novak Djokovic Puts Campaigns Against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal Above 2023 Battle Against Carlos Alcaraz

Atharva Upasani | 14/11/2023
"Now He's Overtaken Federer & Nadal": Former World No. 2 Believes Novak Djokovic Is Better Than Ever Despite Records

Novak Djokovic has had an incredible 2023 season. The 36-year-old has won three Grand Slam titles and reached the Wimbledon final. The Serbian sits on top of the men’s singles Grand Slam winners with an unprecedented 24 majors to his name. However, Djokovic does not think that 2023 was the best season of his career, as per his interview with TennisTV recently.

Novak Djokovic can still improve upon his already brilliant record in 2023 as he is still competing for the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup. The Serbian has enjoyed big seasons in the past, winning multiple Grand Slam titles. The 36-year-old won three Grand Slam titles in 2011, 2015, 2021 and 2023 each respectively, which in itself is an incredible achievement.

When asked if 2023 is his best ever year, the Serbian was quick to mention it was ‘one of his best’ but admitted that he has had better seasons in the past. Djokovic picked and chose the tournaments that he wanted to compete in this year to find his peak to contend for big titles. The Serbian further added that in previous years, he played more matches, which made it tough to win all the tournaments.

“One of the best years. I wouldn’t say the best, but one of the best. I mean, the fact that I’ve won three out of four Slams and played a final in the fourth and it’s still not the best year of my life, it’s quite nice to have that kind of situation. I think three times, that I won three out of four Slams in a season…in those years, I won more matches. I mean, I played more tournaments. I was really feeling very dominant on the tour.”
During the 2011 and 2015 seasons, Novak Djokovic was competing at a time when both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were at the peak of their careers. Winning three Grand Slam titles against the ‘Big Three’ proved how good the Serbian was, finding a peak of his own which neither of the duo could match from then on.

Novak Djokovic had incredible 2011 and 2015 seasons

In 2011, Novak Djokovic won three Grand Slams in one year for the first time. The Serbian won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open but was beaten in the French Open semifinals by Roger Federer. Djokovic defeated his rival Rafael Nadal in both the Wimbledon and US Open finals. The Serbian star also won the Madrid Open and Rogers Cup in 2011.

But many believe Djokovic was at his dominant best during the 2015 season. The Serbian won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, while reaching the final of the French Open. This was the second time that Djokovic had won three Grand Slams in a calendar year. Along with Grand Slam titles, the Serbian won the Shanghai Masters, the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals to complete an amazing season.

Post Edited By: Dhruv Rupani

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Atharva Upasani

Possessing a Masters degree in Sports Journalism, Atharva is a Tennis Journalist at The SportsRush. Atharva has come a long way from just being a tennis enthusiast to writing more than 300 articles on the sport. He has the 2012 Australian Open final to thank for cultivating within him a strong interest in tennis in which Novak Djokovic beat his favorite player, Rafael Nadal. Besides Nadal, his favorite athletes are cricketer Virat Kohli and Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes.