‘You have to admire Novak Djokovic because…’, says legend

Over the past decade, Novak Djokovic has managed to close the gap that separated him from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Thanks to an extraordinary 2021, in which he touched the legendary ‘Calendar Grand Slam’, the Serbian champion has led many experts to already recognize him as the best ever. The new season did not start well for Nole, unable to defend the title at the Australian Open due to the well-known vaccination issue. In addition to suffering serious damage to his image, the world number 1 had to witness Nadal’s triumph at Melbourne Park. The Spaniard has thus hoisted himself to 21 Majors, bypassing Federer and Djokovic in the all-time ranking. Strict US regulations forced the 34-year-old from Belgrade to also miss the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami. Djokovic will return to action in Monte Carlo next week, before traveling to Belgrade to compete in the Serbia Open. The 20-time Grand Slam champion should have no problem playing Roland Garros, as France has decided to abolish the vaccination pass. In a long interview with Eurosport, snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan crowned Novak as the GOAT.

O’Sullivan on Nole Djokovic

“You have to admire Novak Djokovic. He is the best player of all time and will win the most Grand Slams in the history of tennis. There are also Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the three of them are a sporting phenomenon. If we compare Novak and myself, we have different styles of play, I am more like Federer. Roger has self-confidence, but Novak is more of a mixture of styles and he has it all in him.” Novak Djokovic is considered one of the most well-rounded players in the history of the game. Ronnie O’Sullivan compared Djokovic’s style to Nadal’s and Federer’s as the Snooker legend believes he has the best of both of his eternal rivals’ repetoire. “Here you have Roger, Rafa’s over there… Novak is in the middle, he has a part of Roger and he has a part of Rafa in him. He must be recognized as an amazing player with an incredible talent,” O’Sullivan added. The current World No.1 and the 20-time Major champion, Novak Djokovic, is all set to play at the Monte Carlo Masters after a long gap. The last time he played was in February at the Dubai Open, where he lost to Jiri Vesely in the quarter-final. As a result of that loss, he lost his No.1 ranking to Daniil Medvedev.