Novak Djokovic gets huge disrespect in Rafael Nadal GOAT debate originally appeared on The Sporting News Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The “GOAT” debate in men’s tennis never seems to die. Many people simply don’t want it any other way.
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The latest spoiler is Ivan Ljubičić, Roger Federer’s former coach and current director of high performance at the French Tennis Federation, who has publicly backed Federer and Rafael Nadal, rather than Novak Djokovic, to become the greatest tennis players of all time.
The 10-time ATP Tour champion didn’t mince words during an off-court interview on the Greg Rusedski Podcast: “Obviously Novak has the most wins, that’s obvious. But for me, Roger and Rafa have had a huge impact on the game at different moments. Maybe more than Novak.”
The problem is simple: While coaches and pundits debate his legacy, Djokovic is still playing on the court. The 38-year-old surprisingly reached the 2026 Australian Open final, beating Yannick Sinner in the semi-finals before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the title match.
He remains strong and continues to add to his record, firmly demonstrating that his case is not over. Love him or rate him as the third best of the trio, Djokovic has earned the right to be in this conversation. Greatness in tennis is not one-dimensional. Djokovic is still writing his story. The debate can wait.
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