Top sport is not a popularity contest, and if it were Novak, Djokovic would be absent from the conversation about who is the greatest ever.
Despite attracting a fanatical personal following, even in his own sport he would not rank among the most loved performers by the general public.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the kings of hearts of their remarkable generation. It’s something that has pretty much gnawed away at the 36-year-old Serb over the years, while also fueling his motivation.
When asked about being booed sporadically by the public in Paris last week (he wasn’t unique in that), he replied defiantly, “I don’t mind. It’s not the first, probably not the last. I just keep winning.”
True to his word, he secured a third French Open title on Sunday, and in the most important measure of all – sheer performance – he has preceded Nadal when it comes to Grand Slam titles.
Novak Djokovic made history by winning his 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open
Djokovic cannot compete with Roger Federer (left) or Rafael Nadal (right) in terms of popularity.
However, Djokovic continues to stake his claim as the greatest individual male athlete
Indeed, his body of work, and the longevity associated with it, increasingly supports the claim that he is now the greatest individual sportsman of modern times. Of course, this is an imprecise saloon bar debate, but the evidence continues to pile up.
Djokovic operates in a solitary world-class sport (23 countries are represented in the men’s top 50 alone) without subdivisions or categories.
In an era of two other generational talents, he is the only man to have won all four Grand Slams between 2008 and now, played in their varying conditions, each at least three times. On Monday, he again climbed to the world number one position, making it his 388th week in the slot.
There’s no sign of his appetite still being sated, and it’s become a parlor game in tennis to estimate how many Majors he’ll hit (26-27 is a fair call).
Outside of this sometimes insular parish, there are valid counterclaims about the best ever to perform in an arena with no teammates to call on.
Golf Majors are by nature more arbitrary and less easily bend to a player’s will. Jack Nicklaus won 18, followed by Tiger Woods with 15.
You could argue that no one dominated like Woods at his peak until 2008. But one facet of greatness is keeping your balance away from the competition. The great American then blew that, and with it his hopes of getting Nicklaus. (Djokovic has come close, but never quite imploded).
Boxing is more of a folk sport, but the subdivisions within it are confusing. No one could doubt the genius of Muhammad Ali or Sugar Ray Robinson, but the same pound-for-pound debate doesn’t exist in the world’s most played racquet game.
Djokovic (right) is the only one of the iconic trio to have won all four Grand Slam singles titles at least three times each
Despite his greatness on the pitch, he continues to polarize opinion and gets booed
It could be argued that no one dominated like Tiger Woods, but he has declined since 2008
The greatness of Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher cannot be debated, although there will always be a question about the role their machines play.
Muhammad Ali (right) was a genius, but the same pound-for-pound debate doesn’t exist in tennis
Nor can the greatness of Lewis Hamilton or Michael Schumacher be debated in Formula 1, although the question there is the role machines play. It’s not like Djokovic has ever played with a racket clearly superior to any of his rivals.
One thing the Serb doesn’t have is an Olympic gold medal. Swimming could therefore offer the extraordinary Michael Phelps, who won 23 between 2004 and 2016. Squash would refer to Jahangir Khan, who once recorded 555 consecutive wins albeit in a pursuit with less global competition.
Of all the above, no one has presented such a polarized opinion, or opportunities to distract from their greatness, as Djokovic.
These range from the harmless – his cheesy post-match victory celebration – to the downright wacko, endorsing the theory that the composition of water can be changed through the power of positive thinking.
Even during the two weeks of the French Open, he sparked controversy, voicing support for Serb claims to disputed lands in Kosovo on a courtside camera.
Most controversial of all was his staunch refusal to take a Covid vaccine, making him a hero to some and an irresponsible nuisance to others (many tennis players took the vaccine only reluctantly to keep the show on the road during the pandemic crisis, but he still refused.)
Djokovic’s stance on the Covid vaccine made him a hero to some and a nuisance to others
Because of this, he was kicked out of Australia a year and a half ago and was also unable to play at the US Open, where he was disqualified in 2020 for flicking a ball at a linesman. If he had played those events, we probably would have had this conversation sooner.
As with everything from Djokovic, each character assessment is complex. He has been a generous humanitarian and is often a sporting opponent, when uninjured. He is highly intelligent, a thinker and a brilliant linguist with a captivating sense of humour.
He is cut off from anything else, which is why he continues to advocate for the best solo performer among male athletes.