Novak Djokovic’s 23rd grand slam is a record – but please don’t call him the GOAT

N ow that Novak Djokovic has won his 23rd grand slam tennis tournament (and there is little prospect of Nadal equalling him), many people are saying Djokovic is the greatest of all time. But many of these people also feel a certain reluctance in saying this. Federer seems at least as great.

But can the numbers lie? Yes!

Suppose a tennis player comes along who is 10 feet tall. Every serve is an ace. He never loses a service game. He wins 30 grand slams. Is he the GOAT (greatest of all time)? No. The idea is ridiculous.

Or suppose that in the next few years there is another world war, and the majority of young men are conscripted. But the grand slams are still played, and Dave wins 30 of them. Is Dave the greatest? Certainly not.

If there is any meaningful sense in which we can ask who is the greatest of all time, the answer can not simply be given by crudely adding up slams. You’ve got to factor in other things, like who else was playing at the time, and physical advantages.

So, let’s do that. Since 2019, Djokovic has won eight slams. But during this time, Federer was too old and injured to play his best, and the competition was generally pretty weak. It is not that these eight slams don’t count. But they are worth less.

Consider next physical advantages. Djokovic isn’t 10 feet tall but he is extremely fast and flexible. He is, as they say, “the rubber man”. This is an immense physical advantage. It allows him to extend points and grind his opponents down. His abilities as a returner and defender, and indeed a strategist who runs his opponents around, are part of his greatness. But his physical advantages, at the same time, reduce the greatness of his achievements.

You might say Djokovic has a winning head-to-head