Former World No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov recently called Novak Djokovic the best tennis player ever after his Olympic win, but he doesn’t think Djokovic is the greatest athlete overall.
Kafelnikov, who has two Grand Slam titles and four in doubles, won an Olympic gold medal in 2000 after a tough match against Tommy Haas. He retired from professional tennis in 2010.
He won 26 career titles and over $20 million in prize money, making him one of the top earners in ATP history. In 2019, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame .
Djokovic’s Recent Triumph:
Even after retiring, Kafelnikov remains a huge fan of tennis. He recently watched Djokovic become the oldest Olympic tennis champion at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Last Sunday, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz with scores of 7-6, 7-6 at Roland Garros to win his first tennis gold medal for Serbia on his fifth try.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇷🇸 Novak Djokovic | 37 | 8,360 | 18 - 6 |
Fans might think it’s amazing how Djokovic ended his longest title drought since 2005 with this victory in Paris. Kafelnikov believes this win cements Djokovic as the greatest tennis player ever but still ranks Michael Jordan higher as an overall athlete.
“There’s no doubt that Novak is the greatest tennis player of all time,” said Kafelnikov. “You can’t put him on the same level as Michael Jordan…I don’t think so.”
“All I wanted to do was watch him play live,” he added. “To me, he’s still number one.”
Despite not losing a single set on his way to Olympic gold, Djokovic feels like he has now completed his collection of major trophies.
Kafelnikov shared with Tennis Majors that he’s unsure what comes next for Djokovic’s career since finding motivation might be challenging now that he’s achieved so much.
“Novak stayed motivated because he wanted to win the gold medal,” said Kafelnikov. “Right now, it’s going to be hard to find motivation.”
“If he wants to continue playing for fun, that’s fine,” he continued. “But I don’t know how he can find more motivation after everything he’s done.”
What do you think? Can Djokovic keep pushing himself further?
