“If he wins the 25th major, I would think that he would leave the game” : Chrissie Evert on Novak Djokovic’s quest for Grand Slam record
Ever since the end of tennis at the Summer Olympics in Paris where Novak Djokovic finally won the gold, there has been a huge debate around social media regarding who the ‘GOAT’ is. This question ultimately narrows down to the ‘Big 3’ – Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
It is true that both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are more ‘liked’ by fans than the Serbian, whether it is due to the Swiss’s attractive playstyle or the Spainard’s immense passion for the game, but when we deep it down, it seems clear that Novak Djokovic has completed the sport of tennis, while also having more majors than both his rivals.
The 37-year-old now has the chance to clear any remaining doubts by winning the US Open, which will be his 25th Grand Slam title. Former tennis player Chrissie Evert had a few words to speak about this, but she also believes that the Serbian would retire sooner rather than later, if he eventually wins his 25th at the US Open.
Chrissie Evert says it would be a herculean task if Novak Djokovic wins 25th Major title
The Serbian does not really have anything left to prove now after winning his final piece of hardware at the Paris Olympics. He is currently tied with Margaret Court at 24 Grand Slam titles, but if winning the 25th is what it takes to solidify his ‘GOAT’ status for good, then rest assured we can see the 37-year-old go all out in this year’s US Open. The American tennis legend also felt the same way as she expressed her thoughts over Djokovic’s final years of professional tennis.
“I think if he wins the 25th major, I would think that he would leave the game, he’d break that tie with Margaret Court. I would allow him to retire after that. OK, you have everybody in the world’s permission to retire. That would be epic if he could do that. But he’s a very driven person beyond anybody that I’ve ever seen.” said Court (via Forbes).
“It would be Herculean if he wins this tournament and gets to 25. I think hands down he would have to be the greatest male player ever. I think he already is in a lot of people’s minds. To have won the Olympics, for him to come back and find that resilience and find that level of tennis that we haven’t seen the whole year because he hasn’t won a tournament all year except of the Olympics.” the 69-year-old added.
“It’s a fairy tale. I believe in karma. This guy has worked his butt off his whole life and put up a lot with the press and being the bad guy with Federer and Nadal, he deserves it all.” the American concluded.
Chrissie Evert is not far off her statements, as the Serbian has been ridiculed by the press and been portrayed as the ‘bad guy’ his whole career. Although the thought of Novak Djokovic retiring does not seem plausible at the moment, due to the incredible consistency and determination to be the best that he has shown us throughout his career – from battling it out with his biggest rivals in Nadal and Federer to keeping up with the newest generation of stars in Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the Serbian has come a long way.
Winning major number 25 would be the perfect way to silence his critics, but also saying goodbye to a storied career to say the least.
