Novak Djokovic welcomes ‘best of all time’ recognition and has no plans to retire from tennis yet

Novak Djokovic welcomed suggestions he is the BOAT – ‘best of all time’ – and believes that such discussions only help the sport of tennis.

That leaves him ahead of the other Big Three names, Rafael Nadal and the now-retired Roger Federer. The Swiss has retired, and the Spaniard is likely to bring his career to a close in the next year or two, with injury keeping him out of action since the Australian Open.

Reacting to the proclamation, Djokovic was appreciative.

“Thank you, I appreciate that,” he said. “There’s not much to say other than that.”

He added: “I leave the debate and discussions to other people. I think it’s good that there is a debate because it just attracts more attention to our sport.

“At the end of the day, we are all trying to be the best possible ambassadors [for] tennis, attracting as many people to watch our games, whether it’s live or on the TV. The more people talk about the rivalries, the more people talk of the history, the better it is.”

With Federer gone and Nadal close to retirement, the Serbian veteran appeared keen to kick on.

“Of course I’m aware of the fact that I’m in a very privileged point in time of tennis and of my career, and I’ll try to go further, as far as I possibly can,” he said.

“I still feel good in my body, I still feel plenty of motivation. I’m hitting the ball well on the court.

“I’ve said it many times: the Grand Slams are the tournaments that probably are the tournaments I play tennis for the most at the moment, and I’ll try to peak for them and play my best tennis when it matters most.”

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