As the Djokovic caravan rolls on through the Wimbledon courts and closes into the business end of the championships, the Serb is on the cusp of his 24th Grand Slam title.
Cementing GOAT status
The Belgrade-born man is the one with the highest number of Grand Slam titles currently at 23 and if he makes it 24, will end up taking a lead of two over Rafael Nadal, who has 22 Grand Slams, and four more than the legendary Roger Federer, who has 20 Grand Slams.
The question we are asking and it's a relevant one at this stage of Djokovic's career and also of the tennis world at large: Is Novak Djokovic the greatest men's player of all time?
The statistics are increasingly pointing to that with each passing day and if the Serb holds aloft the Wimbledon trophy on Centre Court on Sunday, his position could be further strengthened.
Although the 'Big Three' comprising Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, all have extremely loyal and faithful fanbases who would vouch for the greatness of their favourite stars, the stats would provide a sneak peek into the 'GOAT' debate.
Stacking the big three
Although, statistically, Djokovic has a definite claim to being the Greatest of All Time in men's tennis, an in-depth stats analysis by a Twitter user @Yolitatennis has given it an all-new meaning.
This is besides just the Grand Slam count, where he is already in the lead.
This analysis by the Twitter user assesses the 'Big Three' in 30 categories, with Djokovic incredibly tops in 27 categories, while Federer ranks first in four and Nadal in just two.
Federer is known for his game, which is based on supreme court sense, game awareness, grace, and class and can flummox the fiercest of opponents. The Swiss champ has an all-around game that makes him one of the most complete players of all time.
Nadal, on the other hand, is the man who dominates the game totally with his power-packed style of play that has rattled opponents all over the world. The Spaniard's relentless energy to cover the court with his tremendous fitness levels has been the hallmark of his success.
The range that he brings to his game is pretty amazing and is a striking aspect of how he plays.
Meanwhile, Djokovic offers the best of Federer and Nadal and then packs a turbo-charged punch all his own in his inimitable style.
Covering the expanse of the court with his range of shots that uses the space to the hilt and exploiting the most innocuous angles is what Djokovic is all about.
The Serb's insatiable hunger to go on and on and crave for innumerable titles, Grand Slam or otherwise, is a feature that marks him out and his desire to keep playing on is what keeps him going.
What do the numbers say?
As per the Twitter user’s in-depth analysis, Djokovic has a general win rate of a staggering 83.44% and a highly impressive win rate against other top-five players of 61.26%.
However, what is most striking about Djokovic’s claim outside of the Grand Slam count is the number of weeks spent as World No. 1.
The Serbian superstar has spent a mind-boggling 388 weeks as World No. 1. In comparison, Federer has been World No. 1 for 310 weeks, and Nadal has occupied that position for just 209 weeks.
It’s a revealing stat of how dominant Djokovic has been over the last 7–8 years. It’s the amazing levels of consistency, focus, and concentration, coupled with supreme fitness levels, that have helped him maintain the spot for such a long period.
Probably, the only area where Djokovic lags behind a little is in Olympic medals. Nadal has clinched Olympic gold for Spain, Federer has won silver for Switzerland while Djokovic only has a bronze to his credit for Serbia at the Olympics.
This might be an area where he might want to improve upon considering his extremely high competitive streak.
With Djokovic well-poised to perhaps clinch his 24th Grand Slam title, Djokovic has invariably made a very strong case to claim the ‘GOAT’ tag. This, along with all the other parameters analysed by the Twitter user gives the mantle to Djokovic hands down.
Although, Federer and Nadal fans may have their parameters to judge and debate the ‘GOAT’ tag, Djokovic on most statistical fronts has won the debate hands down but one can safely say the debate will never die down.
