Novak Djokovic ‘among top three greatest athletes of all time’ after Olympic gold, says former No 1
Novak Djokovic is “among the top three greatest athletes of all time” according to Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who heaped praise on the Serbian after his Olympic triumph.
After winning 24 Grand Slam titles and spending 428 weeks as the world No 1, Djokovic claimed the gold medal that had previously eluded him at Paris 2024, downing Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
That means Djokovic has won every big title available in the sport, extending his case to be considered the greatest male player of all time.
However, former world No 1 Kafelnikov takes that argument even further.
In an interview with Tennis Majors, the Russian said Djokovic should be in the debate of greatest athlete of all time – not just considered the greatest tennis player.
“There is no question whether Novak is the greatest of all time in tennis, that’s for sure,” said Kafelnikov.
“Whether you can put him on the same level as Michael Jordan… I don’t, because I grew up idolising the greatest athlete of all time, which is Michael Jordan – all I wanted was to watch him play live.
“To me, he is always No 1, but Novak is definitely among the top three greatest athletes of all time, undoubtedly – all the accomplishments, records that he has broken, titles he has won.”
Djokovic was visibly emotional after beating Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) to strike gold at Roland Garros.
The Serbian was shaking on court after victory and has since described it as one of the most important triumphs of his career – something that Kafelnikov can attest to.
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Alongside reaching No 1 and winning two Grand Slam singles titles, Kafelnikov struck men’s singles gold at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
And he praised how Djokovic handled the final, saying that a gold medal is as significant as a major victory.
He added: “I’ve said it before – Olympic gold is as important as a Grand Slam title.
“I tweeted the day before the match that this final was the most important match of Novak Djokovic’s career. I was absolutely sure about it. If Novak had lost on Sunday, he would have regretted it all his life.
“He won and proved my comments true afterwards. To be honest, it’s so funny seeing Novak’s fans on social media now – before, they were saying the Olympics were not important, but now they find it important, saying that it was necessary for him to win it.
“Novak showed from the beginning that he’s ready to grind and to give everything he has just to win that gold.
“It was a big battle from the very first point, it came down to a few points which made the difference.
“I think the player who wanted to win more was victorious.”
