“He entered tennis when Federer and Nadal were at the highest level” : Julia Apostoli, mother of Stefanos Tsitsipas believes Novak Djokovic to be the best among the Big 3
While the Big 3 have established themselves as the undisputed greatest tennis players of all time, the debate of who is the best among the trio shall always remain due to the nature of all three’s abilities and rivalries against each other, and not to forget the ridiculous amount of trophies and accolades they possess.
Stefanos Tsitsipas’s mother and former professional tennis player Julia Apostoli has an interesting take on the GOAT debate. She believes that out of the three, Novak Djokovic is the one who had it harder from the start of his career. Debuting at a time when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were at the top of the game, the Serbian slowly rose through the ranks and ultimately was at the level of the duo, while some even say that he has gone past them. Not to mention, Djokovic has the most number of Grand Slam titles (24) among the trio and while both the Swiss and the Spainard have now retired, his time does not seem to be arriving anytime in the near future.
While praising the 37-year-old, Apostoli also addressed his many doubters, and believes that some time or another, they will all understand as to why he is the best.
“Djokovic is a self-made man. No PR. In other words, he entered tennis when Federer and Nadal were at the highest level. They were already the fathers of tennis. And Djokovic was not a name, but over time, as time has shown, he proved that everything is possible. Those who condemn him will need time to reassess this,” the 60-year-old said while talking to Russian vlogger Dychkovsky in a YouTube interview (translated to English from Russian).
“I am a bit sad because my greatest rivals have left” : Novak Djokovic after Rafael Nadal joins Roger Federer in retirement
The Serbian is the last great left of the golden era of tennis after the retirement of the Spainard and even Andy Murray, who has joined the Serbian’s team as his coach.
After his exhibition match at Buenos Aires Parque Roca stadium against Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, who has also recently retired, Djokovic addressed his sadness over his friends, who are also his greatest rivals all leaving the sport. He also believes that a part of him left along with them, but he still tries to remain motivated for what is to come.
“I am still playing and I believe I am part of a golden era. Federer, Nadal, Murray, Delpo, Wawrinka… it is a very special era for our sport. Our personal careers have been influenced by all these rivalries of the last 15 years. For me, looking at this year, it is an incredible thing. I am a bit sad because my greatest rivals have left,” the Serbian said (via Punto de Break).
“A part of me, in terms of tennis, also leaves with them, but I continue to seek this motivation. Now I work with a new coach, one of my biggest rivals, who inspires me to see if we can achieve great things in our sport,” the 24-time Grand Slam champion added.
Novak Djokovic, now along with coach Andy Murray, has unfinished business to attend to starting next month in the Australian Open, where he will look to take down the current two best in the world, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
