Exclusive: Tim Henman speaks on his GOAT in men’s tennis, says Novak Djokovic ‘will end up with the most Grand Slams’

Novak Djokovic will end his career with the most Grand Slams in the men’s game, says Eurosport expert Tim Henman.

Djokovic currently has 21 singles Slams to his name, one less than the current record holder, Rafael Nadal. He’ll be hoping to equal the Spaniard’s record in Melbourne Park at the Australian Open, the first major of the 2023 season.

When asked on how Djokovic will deal with the pressure of playing for his 22nd Grand Slam and if the outcome of the tournament affects the conversation of who the greatest men’s player is of all time, Henman said: “The GOAT race, for me, is a numbers game. I’ve said it for four or five years, but I think Novak will end up with the most Grand Slams in the men’s game. He’s the one that is fit and healthy and playing the best tennis, but he has to go out and prove it.

“He is seeded number four, which is a bit strange. I don’t think he’s the fourth-best player in the world. I think he is the favourite. With his record in Australia, having won so many times, he’s going to be very difficult to beat.”

Ahead of Djokovic in the seeding are Nadal, Casper Ruud, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Other strong contenders for the title include Daniil Medvedev, who is the seventh seed, and Nick Kyrgios, whose been seeded 19th.

According to Henman, it won’t be smooth sailing for the Serbian due to the competition, but he believes Djokovic has the best chance of winning his tenth title in Melbourne.

“In this sport, you don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s why they go out there and play. But when he’s playing this type of tennis, when he’s fit, he’s healthy, and he’s focused – his record speaks for itself. There’s no doubt that he’s the favourite.”

“To see Novak come straight back to Adelaide and win the tournament last week, I think it shows you know how well he’s playing. I think you also need to reflect how well he played at the end of last year. He won in Paris; he won the Tour finals. I was there, and he was playing fantastically well.”

“I’m very happy to see Novak back in Australia,” said Henman. “You know what happened last year was not a good story for anybody. It wasn’t good for Novak. For the Australian Open. It wasn’t good for our sport. Him competing in the Australian Open is very, very good news. We always want to see the best players playing against each other.”

“You never know. You never know. But my advice would be to him: you can’t control it. When you can’t control something, don’t worry about it and concentrate on the things that you can control, and that’s preparation and performance. But yes, it will be interesting; it’s another interesting storyline. It was bad 12 months ago and was no fun for anyone – I’m sure the worst was for Novak, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens 12 months later.”

Djokovic’s first-round match of the tournament will be against 29 year old Roberto Carballes Baena.

“I’m working on the Australian Open with Eurosport, and I’m so excited because I think there’s just going to be so many great storylines in the next two weeks,” said Henman.

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