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Novak Djokovic’s 23rd Grand Slam is a record – but don’t call him a ‘goat’ | Ben Bramble

N.oh it’s Novak Djokovic Djokovic won his 23rd Grand Slam tennis tournament (and Nadal is unlikely to match him), and many say Djokovic is the greatest of all time. But many of these people are kind of reluctant to say this. Federer looks at least as good.

But do the numbers lie? yes!

Suppose a ten-foot-tall tennis player comes along. All serves are ace. He never loses a service game. He won 30 Grand Slams. Is he a GOAT? No, the idea is silly.

Or suppose there will be another world war in the next few years and most of the young will be drafted. But Grand Slams are still played, and Dave has won 30 of them. Is Dave the best? Certainly not.

If there is any point in asking who is the greatest man of all time, the answer cannot be obtained by simply summing up the slams roughly. Other things have to be considered, like who else was playing at the time, physical advantage, etc.

So let’s do it. Since 2019, Djokovic has won eight Grand Slam tournaments. But Federer was too old and too injured to perform at his best during this period, and was far less competitive overall. It’s not like those eight smashes don’t count. But they are less valuable.

Now consider the physical benefits. Djokovic isn’t 10 feet tall, but he’s very fast and flexible. As they say, he is a “rubber man”. This is a huge physical advantage. It allows him to extend his points and crush his opponents. His ability as a returner, as a defender, and as a strategist to actually chase his opponents is part of his greatness. But his physical advantage at the same time diminishes the greatness of his exploits.

Djokovic could be said to be winning head-to-head with Federer. However, this is irrelevant as the peak times are different. Federer’s heyday was 2004-2009 and Djokovic’s peak was 2011-2016.

You might say that the all-time greats are determined by the hypothesis of who beat whom at their peak. However, different people have different chemistry for a match of tennis. Maybe Federer in his prime beats Djokovic in his prime, that Djokovic beats Nadal in his prime, and it’s also true that Nadal beats Federer. The truth is, Kyrgios in his prime could beat any of these players in their prime, but that doesn’t mean he’s the greatest of all time.

If you can understand this concept, I believe that the greatest tennis player of all time is some ability to consistently beat other great contenders at their peak on a variety of different surfaces. Mental is a big factor here. A common trait of the ‘Big 3’ (Federer, Djokovic, Nadal) is their ability to play well in key moments and stay mentally tough. After all, the greatest may be determined by exactly this factor – mental strength. It is unclear who is the best at this point.

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If I’m right and the greatest players of all time have played a part in this, then of course there’s no point in trying to figure out who the greatest is. But it’s still meaningful and fun to discuss.

Also, who is the best returner of all time, who is the best server, who is the most talented, who has the most beautiful all-around game, who has the best drop shot, etc. You can also ask These are all still very interesting and much more manageable questions.

If Carlos Alcaraz continues to rack up 30 wins beyond an era when other great prospects have played as well, it might be plausible to say that Alcaraz is the greatest player of all time. But just because Djokovic completed his 23rd slam doesn’t mean we have to say this about Djokovic.

  • Ben Bramble is a Philosophy Lecturer at ANU and a former No. 1 ranked junior tennis player.

Summarize this content to 100 words N.oh it’s Novak Djokovic Djokovic won his 23rd Grand Slam tennis tournament (and Nadal is unlikely to match him), and many say Djokovic is the greatest of all time. But many of these people are kind of reluctant to say this. Federer looks at least as good.But do the numbers lie? yes!Suppose a ten-foot-tall tennis player comes along. All serves are ace. He never loses a service game. He won 30 Grand Slams. Is he a GOAT? No, the idea is silly.Or suppose there will be another world war in the next few years and most of the young will be drafted. But Grand Slams are still played, and Dave has won 30 of them. Is Dave the best? Certainly not.If there is any point in asking who is the greatest man of all time, the answer cannot be obtained by simply summing up the slams roughly. Other things have to be considered, like who else was playing at the time, physical advantage, etc.So let’s do it. Since 2019, Djokovic has won eight Grand Slam tournaments. But Federer was too old and too injured to perform at his best during this period, and was far less competitive overall. It’s not like those eight smashes don’t count. But they are less valuable.Now consider the physical benefits. Djokovic isn’t 10 feet tall, but he’s very fast and flexible. As they say, he is a “rubber man”. This is a huge physical advantage. It allows him to extend his points and crush his opponents. His ability as a returner, as a defender, and as a strategist to actually chase his opponents is part of his greatness. But his physical advantage at the same time diminishes the greatness of his exploits.Djokovic could be said to be winning head-to-head with Federer. However, this is irrelevant as the peak times are different. Federer’s heyday was 2004-2009 and Djokovic’s peak was 2011-2016.You might say that the all-time greats are determined by the hypothesis of who beat whom at their peak. However, different people have different chemistry for a match of tennis. Maybe Federer in his prime beats Djokovic in his prime, that Djokovic beats Nadal in his prime, and it’s also true that Nadal beats Federer. The truth is, Kyrgios in his prime could beat any of these players in their prime, but that doesn’t mean he’s the greatest of all time.If you can understand this concept, I believe that the greatest tennis player of all time is some ability to consistently beat other great contenders at their peak on a variety of different surfaces. Mental is a big factor here. A common trait of the ‘Big 3’ (Federer, Djokovic, Nadal) is their ability to play well in key moments and stay mentally tough. After all, the greatest may be determined by exactly this factor – mental strength. It is unclear who is the best at this point.Skip past newsletter promotionsInformation on the best of sports journalism from the last 7 days and what’s happening over the weekend”,”newsletterId”:”the-recap”,”successDescription”:”We will send you a weekly summary”}” clientOnly>Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content funded by external parties. For more information, see privacy policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google. privacy policy and terms of service application.After newsletter promotionIf I’m right and the greatest players of all time have played a part in this, then of course there’s no point in trying to figure out who the greatest is. But it’s still meaningful and fun to discuss.Also, who is the best returner of all time, who is the best server, who is the most talented, who has the most beautiful all-around game, who has the best drop shot, etc. You can also ask These are all still very interesting and much more manageable questions.If Carlos Alcaraz continues to rack up 30 wins beyond an era when other great prospects have played as well, it might be plausible to say that Alcaraz is the greatest player of all time. But just because Djokovic completed his 23rd slam doesn’t mean we have to say this about Djokovic.
Ben Bramble is a Philosophy Lecturer at ANU and a former No. 1 ranked junior tennis player.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jun/12/novak-djokovic-not-the-goat-greatest-of-all-time-wins-french-open-record-23rd-grand-slam Novak Djokovic’s 23rd Grand Slam is a record – but don’t call him a ‘goat’ | Ben Bramble

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