The GOAT debate surrounding Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic just doesn’t seem to end, and rightly so. The trio, in their own unique ways, have changed the landscape of men’s singles tennis with their humungous achievements and longevity in the game.
Everyone in the tennis community has their own choice for various reasons. However, another person who has joined the chorus and is making a case for Novak Djokovic is his current coach, Goran Ivanisevic. Whether biased or not, Ivanisevic has a unique take on the debate.
Goran Ivanisevic feels Novak Djokovic isn’t liked because of late success
Novak Djokovic is a huge crowd favorite at the Australian Open in Melbourne every year, arguably due to winning a record 10 Grand Slams out of his 23 there so far. However, when it comes to the rest of the 3 Grand Slams and more so at the traditional Wimbledon Championships, Djokovic has been behind when it comes to winning the hearts of the general public. According to Ivanisevic, this is due to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal finding their prime earlier than Novak Djokovic’s rise.
Ivanisevic, who himself won the Wimbledon 2001 title famously as a wildcard, knows a thing or two about endearing himself to people. Yet, he chooses to focus more on longevity and victories to pick his GOAT and as a result, he was quoted as saying to the Daily Express –
“People they feel like they can relate with Rafa and Roger because they came [into tennis] first. But he (Novak) does get great support. He is one of the best athletes, and I’m not just talking about tennis, but one of the best athletes in the world.
“He’s still going and what he did for tennis and for sport is amazing. I think people appreciate it, but I think they will appreciate more when he stops playing tennis. For me Novak is the greatest for me in everything, by results.
“Roger maybe played the most attractive tennis. But they all helped each other to become better players. First Roger, then Rafa and Novak came, the rivalry between these three guys was amazing. They made tennis a better sport and they all love tennis.
“But you have to choose somebody, some people prefer Roger or Nadal… for me, it’s Novak.”
When Goran Ivanisevic landed in trouble due to Rafael Nadal criticism
Novak Djokovic is the obvious choice for the Croatian, but notably he has been a bit mellow in recent times when it comes to his pupil’s biggest rival, Rafael Nadal. Back in 2020, Ivanisevic was slammed on social media for his overconfident public statement ahead of the French Open final that Nadal had ‘no chance whatsoever’ to beat Djokovic in the summit clash. However, he had to eat his words humiliatingly as Nadal won that match in straight sets to clinch his 20th Grand Slam title.
Two years later, when Nadal and Djokovic played against at the French Open, in the quarterfinals, the Spaniard again won albeit in 4 thrilling sets. Without giving much credit to Nadal, Ivanisevic passed off the defeat by claiming that ‘Djokovic wasn’t mentally ready for that big match’. It would be interesting to see whether Ivanisevic remains Djokovic’s coach by the time he plays Nadal next, which could be well 12 months from now.
