Novak Djokovic has been locked in a long-running battle to win the hearts and minds of the tennis world over the course of his career. On some occasions, the Serb has managed to be successful and on others, he has lost ground.
In short, the world of tennis doesn’t necessarily dislike Djokovic by any means, but crucially, he is never the outstanding favorite to win as far as the public goes.
In many ways, this should be interpreted as a compliment for Djokovic given that tennis fans know how prolific the Serb is, as his recent Wimbledon victory attests to, which is why they ultimately root for a thrilling upset to take place.
The latest US Open odds give even more weight to this theory when you consider that the 35-year-old is once again the favorite to win the year’s final Grand Slam in New York at a price of 11/8.
Magnificent.
In its 100 years, Centre Court has seen few champions like @DjokerNole#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/vffvL2f08Q
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2022
The reality, however, is that Djokovic won’t be there and could miss out on competing in a significant amount of Grand Slams during the twilight of his career owing to not being aligned with certain entry requirements into various host countries.
With this in mind, it does feel as if the Serb’s career may be cut short whilst he is in the final stages of establishing himself as the greatest men’s player of all time.
In all likelihood, it is a race that he looks set to lose to Rafa Nadal despite, statistically, being the better player after holding a superior head-to-head record against the Spaniard. The same is, of course, true with regards to his one-on-one record against Roger Federer.
Yes, they say that stats can be used to prove any point you’re trying to make but the fact that Djokovic has a better head-to-head record against the other two members of the Big Three should not be dismissed and rather, used to reinforce his legacy as the greatest.
? Four digits for the Big 3 at Grand Slams…@rogerfederer + @DjokerNole + @RafaelNadal = 1000! pic.twitter.com/HpDbBj1tKz
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 4, 2022
Essentially, it is these records that will have to be used when trying to ascertain who the most superior men’s player of all time is given that the playing fields are no longer level.
Put another way, now that the Serb won’t be given the green light to contest half of the year’s Grand Slams, the tennis world has a duty to consider his case as the greatest by means of looking at what the numbers say outside of the majors.
The reality, however, is that Djokovic may not be afforded the luxury of having the public take into his account his achievements of being the greatest if he hasn’t won the most Grand Slams.
Indeed, the majority of tennis fans may not allow him this exception given that Grand Slam wins have always been the yardstick of greatness.
Ultimately, you have to ask if this captivating race to be the greatest in the men’s game should peter out like this after two decades of enthralling competition that has enriched the lives of sports fans.
The answer has to be no but this is the reality of this situation which is why some alternative measurements are needed.