The Truth About The GOAT Debate In Tennis! 

*Sampras gets the most slams* Fans: he's the goat! *Federer surpasses him and gets the most slams* Fans: he's the goat! *Nadal surpasses him and gets the most slams* Fans: he's the goat! *Djokovic surpasses him and gets the most slams* Fans: it's not that straightforward, there's nuances and...stuff

Novak Djoković is not merely the GOAT of tennis. He is arguably the greatest athlete of all time, in the same category with Jordan, Ali, Brady…

As a hard Federer fan (not a joke), here is the fact. There is no GOAT debate anymore. Djokovic ended it.

Imagine how different it would be if Novak was American...

When Sampras had the most slams and most weeks at No.1 , he was considered the GOAT. When Federer had both these records, he was considered the GOAT. But when Djokovic has both the records, it's about elegance, beauty and eye test. Stop the hypocrisy !! One important thing, Tennis is an individual sport. When you are playing a team sport, there are so many variables which goes into winning, that's why it's SUBJECTIVE. Some players can play at a very high level but they can still lose. Best example is LeBron James. Apart from 2011 NBA Finals, he was phenomenal in all the finals yet he has 6 Final losses because of the underpeformance of the team. But in Tennis it's all on you. If you lose, all the blame is on you and if you win all the credit goes to you. Novak has all the important records and it's as objective as it can get in sport . Novak Djokovic is the GOAT !!

Djokovic is the GOAT. Its not a debate

We don't care about subjectivity, we look at facts. Djoković holds every record. That's it he is the GOAT. Numbers are everything. Whenever Federer or Nadal held records, the stats were the only thing people were talking about, but when Djoković broke all the records suddenly the numbers weren't important. There is no debate..m

We are not judging a miss universe contest. All the stats point to the GOAT and it is Novak without question.

A few years back they said that Roger is the greatest because of Grand Slams, now its elegance 🤣

In literally every sport people are just looking stats, you know someone is the best when he has most MVPs, most scores, etc... just here there are crying babies from the West :D

When Sampras was dominating, all that mattered was GS titles! When Roger was dominating, all that mattered was GS titles! When Rafa won his 22nd , all that mattered was GS titles! When a boy from a country half of the so called "civilized west" couldn`t even find on the map, broke the record in almost every stat, all of the sudden, statistics and achievements were not relevant! Novak has won an all-time record 23 Grand Slam singles titles. He has been the world No. 1 for a record total 389 weeks in a record 12 different years, and the year-end world No. 1 a record seven times. Djokovic is the only player in tennis history to be the reigning champion of all four majors at once across all three different surfaces and the only one to achieve a triple Career Grand Slam by winning all four majors at least three times. He has won a record 67 Big Titles while winning all four Grand Slams tournaments, all nine ATP Masters tournaments, and the Year-end Championships at least twice, a feat no other player achieved even once. Not to mention H2H positive score against his biggest rivals, Roger and Rafa......and yet... all this became irrelevant once he surpassed both Roger and Rafa in the GS race! How convenient!

Novak is way beyond of the Tennis sport. He is the greatest athlete in the same category of Jordan.

Novak would’ve had more Grand Slams if not for the Covid era. No question…he’s the GOAT!

That Novak Djokovic is GOAT is completely obvious. He has a positive match record against Nadal and Federer, the most weeks as ATP ranking leader, the most Grand Slam titles. These are such incredible achievements that no one will top it for the next 100 years.

Djokovic takes 1st place in every aspect. He is the best player of all the time.

Pete Sampras said Novak is the GOAT. He was the greatest before the big 3 came along so no one else's judgement carries more weight than his

When numbers and facts dont back up an argument, then it becomes about impact, elegance, good looks, niceness etc......sure...

Dude... It is quite simple. You have a guy that holds literally every record. That has positive score against his greatest rivals (that are, btw, also in the GOAT debate). He won each major 3 times, each masters at least 2 times. I mean, how can anyone else even be close to him? Djokovic is THE GOAT, there's no discussion about it. He is not just the tennis goat, he should also be considered for the GOAT athlete debate.

I am a Roger fan since 2004. But Novak is the GOAT for me. His achievements in the sport is incomparable, so as his athleticism. But the debate will continue since every fan has a right to voice out their opinion about the game. The GOAT debate is good for tennis or any sport since it will generate engagement on social media sites.

Novak had to battle thousands to win his titles...it was usually against Nadal or Fed plus the thousands in the crowd. His mental fortitude is 2nd to none always huge cheers for his double faults or net cords going the way of the other player.

Novak, end of story....and he isn't even finished yet. The man's beyond great.

As soon as Djokovic got to 23, now "there is no GOAT anymore, it is hard to judge", what a coincidence. Who saw this coming wow.

As a fed fan Novak is the undisputed 🐐

I mean, if Novak wasnt better at litraly evry single important stat someone could argue the slams only, but as it is there is no more debate. We got the greatest tennis player of all time in Novak without a doubt. People always talk about Feds elegance and Rafas fighting but what is way more important in tennis are power of will, mental strenght and longevity. Those are probbaly the most important things player needs and Novak is just unbeliveble. He should be studied at evry university on how human being can do that mentaly. Especaily that he had fans mainly against him all his career. Also fact thet he was playing in the hardest era of tennis ever. He is basicly superhuman.

Federer was amazing. Beautiful game. But Djokovic is something else... his passion, his mentality, his skills, he is breaking tennis history.

Statistically and Objectively Novak is the GOAT. Personal opinions don't matter.

Is that a question? Only one player have 23 GS, and h2h statistic better against Fedal... So sorry, we all know who the Goat is.

If Djokovic is not the goat in tennis, Michael Jordan is by far not the goat in Basketball

Novak is GOAT period.

Djokovic is GOAT without any debate 🙌

Novak literally owned tennis in the last decade and so on ...without the shadow of a doubt the GOAT

anyone who thinks that it's still a debate is just not accepting reality. the debate is over people.

Novak Djokovic is not only the goat 🐐 but also the got... God of Tennis 🎾😍

You see, here is the thing. When Roger had 20 slams, and when he was ahead of Djoker and Rafa, everybody relayed on stats and GS number as the most important measure. Now when almost all records are broken by Novak, people are saying that this doesnt matter, but his impact on the sport, personality and etc. Just hypocrite and pathetic...

There is no longer a reason to debate who the goat is!! Novak is the one!!!

While the Fed had the highest GS, he was the Goat. At that time, there was no philosophizing about the nature of GOAT. Nole is not only GOAT in all important parameters, but he also showed it Head to Head against the main candidates.

I was Roger fan till I found about Novak Djokovic!

Please understand. Goat debate was officially over after the French open 2023. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME TO CREATE THIS KIND OF CONTENT. ❤

"Debate" totally over now.

I like how you acknowledge Novak being GOAT just like 30 seconds in and then waste 9 minutes to debunk yourself instead of actually proving your point

Imagine in soccer game, if the winner was team which played "better and nicer" and not the team that scored more goals ? Novak is the GOAT and the BOAT !

This debate is actually pretty easy. Because the only factors you can really rely on are cold and hard numbers and Stats. Everything else is motivated by emotions and are way too subjective to really hold up to the matter. I am a Federer Fan all the way. But whether you like it or not, Djokovic is the Goat. Now please stop making up Excuses and move on. :/

Dont forget what they did to him during covid, literarily locked him up for weeks like a criminal. If no covid there would be few more tournaments won by Novak for sure!

I'll tell you what the harsh truth is, the debate is over.

Djokovic is the greatest tennis player of all times, if you tried to avoid this fact you are just butthurt, end of discussion

Nadal is the GOAT on clay. And Djokovic the overall GOAT.

With commitment to a healthy life, mental strength and speaking skill. I believe Novak excels from other two..

The basic problem is because Novak is eastern Europe Serbia origin. He is not from West and that bathers media, sponsors, fans, sport business people...

Keep telling Novak he isn't GOAT yet. He needs the motivation to keep going now that shhhhhhh . . .he is objectively GOAT

Sampras did not have an all court game. He was too weak on clay.

If the debate isn't over yet, it will be by Sunday. Novak with 24 is GOAT

Is this a modeling contest or sports statistics? 🤣

If GOAT is about 'impact and what you bring to the sport' instead of winning stats (now that Djokovic holds a clear lead in all the significant winning stats) then Djokovic is another obvious strong choice over others in the big 3 due to a) PTPA b) pushing for more prize sharing with lower ranked players c) donations to multiple countries for covid relief d) devoted support for children e) a lonely stand against authoritarian big pharma mandates, at great personal & competitive sacrifice f) learning many languages & making big effort of engaging with fans & reporters in their local language around the world g) earned high degree of respect & appreciation from upcoming rivals for helping & encouraging them in their development: many players speak of this h) trend setter: led the way among tennis players in advanced study of, and personal responsibility for health, nutrition, meditation & fitness i) overcoming adversity: from his childhood background to being the one who came from behind in an era with two potential GOAT candidates already dominating and with established fan bases, forcing him to earn his wins without the level of support his rivals had because he was in the role of the usurper for most of his career so far and some fans have openly admitted cheering not for the active players but for whoever and whatever results could protect the legacy of the one they already hoped to hold records.

It is so simply, Novak Đoković is the best tennis player ever! Bravo, just show achivements of Novak and compare to other players. That is it!

if slams count, switch one of the hard courts with clay and then recount who'd have more by far. not a nadal fan just tryin to say it a kinda favors certain type of players

I love how you are so open and considerate of many different perspectives throughout this video. Thank you!

I feel that Federer blundered by not adopting newer racquet designs when he was still in his prime. This placed him at a disadvantage relative to other great players who had. How many more Grand Slam events might Roger had won if he had accepted the fact that technologically advanced racquets would have upped his game? When he finally did, he was already in his (still really good) post-prime phase.

Hold on for Carlitos soon! Alcaraz will win all surface category for straight 10 years 😅

Clearly Djokovic is de G.O A.T

A huge chunk of the GOAT debate is subjective because humans as emotional creatures will always develop emotional connections to players who impacted us the most. For me, Sampras will always be my favourite player. Your favourite might be Federer or Nadal or Novak or Goran Ivanisevic (just throwing that in there) or Bjorn Borg or Agassi. So what gives? The GOAT debate for an individual sport such as tennis is inevitably headed for pure number crunching as the deciding factor. And when all is said and done, the numbers don't lie: Novak is the GOAT! And I don't see whats wrong with admitting that and STILL having someone else as your favourite player. For me the debate is settled but Sampras' highlight reels will always be a special thing for me because he impacted my childhood and was a source of inspiration for me growing up.

Novak Goatovic

Djokovic is the best, Federer is the greatest. Thats the difference for me

This is by far the best video on any tennis topic that I have watched, and espically the GOAT debate. I like people who are objective, you have a sub and a like my friend, what a video!

Id say 90% or more think the big 3 are the greatest.

It is ridiculous to include tennis players from the past in the debate. And the bicycle used to be the best means of transportation... The quality of the final product is the only thing that matters. No intelligent person cares what the people of the past would have achieved if they were born today. The players of the past are what they were, not what they might have been. Djokovic is what he is, and that is far above everyone else.

I've been following tennis steadily for over 20 years. For me, Roger is the GOAT. I NEVER based my decision on the fact that he had the most slams. It's simply a straw man argument that Novak fans seem to be making up "when Roger had the most slams that's all that mattered - now that Novak has the most we changed the rules!" That's simply not true. NOBODY ever said Roger was the GOAT simply because he held the most slams. As this video points out, it's a very subjective discussion. And the truth is, there is no such thing as the GOAT - it's just an opinion. And I respect people's opinions and differences. And I understand why Novak's winning records clinches it for some people. But I find Novak pretty boring - he's a great defender and that's how he wins. But just keeping the ball in play and avoiding a loss isn't very exciting tennis. And it's not a broad skill set. To my eyes, Roger is the best player ever because, yes he is a proven winner with 20 GS, but also because he is great at EVERY facet of the game. And not just great - better than anyone else. Go right now and look up career stats for Roger and Novak. Roger is better at Novak in just about every measurable metric. Roger is literally the better player. I think Wimbledon 2019 is the perfect summary of my argument - an OLD Federer at the twilight of his career, facing a 6 year younger, 20+ GS winner in the finals. Roger completely outplays him (check the stats for that final) yet he loses to the ultimate defender - Novak - who gets another win. Roger is my GOAT 4E!

Everybody ( read DESPERATE FEDAL ) fans is trying to muddy the water, and try to make things as confusing as possible by insisting on impossibly comparisons.Yes, the shoes,strings,rackets,balls and surfaces were different 75 or 40 yrs. ago, but everyone is playing against their peers under the same conditions.The fact that a " CERTAIN GUY" needs super fast surfaces to win, or the other guy needs everything played on clay, just so he can have an edge, says a lot.

To put Murray in the GOAT list and discard Wawrinka is an insult. Wawrinka at this best is one of the highest most beautiful tennis levels ever.

Greatest ambassador; best doubles player out of the big 3: Roger Federer Peak performance on a surface (clay) with the youngest maturity: Nadal Best overall player and movement: Post 2011 Djokovic

It’s hard to compare players from different generations, especially since the equipment has changed so much

Roy Emerson won 12 GS singles and 16 GS doubles. Yet no one talks about him as GOAT. To me, I stopped watching tennis after Sampras retired.

Great video! I think you got to the point! But if the thing is numbers Djoko is the best of all times

Roger won his 1st slam in 2003 at 21st age, when Djokovic turned Pro. Since 2003 RF dominated the game like no one did. Djokovic won his slam in 2008 but he has to wait again for 3 years for his next slam, because Roger & Nadal are still competing with each other. Till that time, he maintained his ranking below Roger & Nadal, because Djokovic is the next best player. After Roger started losing to anybody, Djokovic started winning slams slowly. Watching Roger game, feels he born to play tennis. slice, single handed back hand, mixing of shots, winning easy matches. Whereas Novak game is more physical, same as Rafa. Like, if you have to keep winning you need to work harder than other players. For me difference between Roger & Djokokovic , is like a difference between brilliant & hardworking student, both are getting good numbers.

Many people today count grand slam wins to come up with a GOAT. Back in the 70s and 80s, none of the top players went to Australia to play the AO. Borg was the best clay court player of his era but did not play the French Open in 77 because he was contracted to play WTT. Vilas won that year and Borg handily beat Vilas in 1978 at the French. Borg revolutionized tennis with the use of extreme topspin groundstrokes, which is how most of the top players play now. He learned to play like that from playing table tennis as a kid. All the tennis experts said that Borg would develop injuries playing like that. No one cared as much about winning grand slams as much back then, many preferred to make more money at WTT. Although I am a big Borg and Nadal fan, Djokovic is the GOAT, in my opinion, for now. However, records are made to be broken. Head to head, Novak has won more times against Roger and Rafa too.

Which country could assemble the best 'Davi's cup' team if you could pick their best players of all time?

Before Novak was a tennis player, now hes Tennis it self

They are all artists and all warriors.

When speaking about the goat I base my judgement on 3 criterias: Trophies - Level and longevity - Era comparison Nadal is the goat for me because he has the best record behind Djoko, his tennis level was the highest I’ve ever seen on clay, the guy was almost unbeatable, and regarding the comparison between eras, no one has dominated one surface like Nadal did, everyone was afraid of him, and that for almost 13 years !

Novak is the greatest human. Risking his tennis existence for the sake of truth. Against delusion, against politics, against pharma, against mainstream. He is more than tennis.

but Nadal has better arms muscles and Fed has a better haircut 🤣

One criterion you did not mention is very important. It's what country Djokovic is from. If Djokovic was from Western Europe or the USA, he would already be the best as a tennis player and as an entertainer and promoter of tennis, but since he is from Serbia, he cannot be the best! Like Tesla, who is the best scientist in the world with so many patents, many of which were not used due to greed, but since he is a Serb, he cannot be the greatest. I mentioned Tesla only so that some people understand that because of Western jealousy and unfair play, people from the East and Africa, for example, cannot be the best!

It's not just holding every record, it's managing to do it while sharing the majority of your career with the other all-time greats who came before you. Also, the provided list of all-time greats is pretty generous. Ashe, Murray, Courier, and Vilas are pushing it, while Hewitt shouldn't be within a mile of it.

I'm a huge novak fan, since i was 8-9 i watched and supported him and of course he is my favourive player and goat. But i think the best criteria for goat debate is how much certain player pushed limits of what was thought humanly possible. For example Sampras having 14 GSs and Borg 11 while retiring at 26 slams is significant leap from other greats having 7-8 slams. Then roger broke the record by 2 ( he was at 16 in 2010 but arrival of rafa and nole significantly slowed his progress ), winning only 4 in big 3 era. (2011+). He was long on 17 slams and won 3 during novak's absence in 2017 and 2018. Then rafa and novak continued winning slams partly motivated by rogers taly. Now its 23 22 20 but a lot of novak's and rafa's greatnes is owed to roger making them chase even at the age of retirement. For me, a diehard nole fan GSs are not important anymore. Even if nole takes 26 slams in proportion to 22 of rafa its like 13:11. My point is picking any of them as a singular GOAT is a donwplay even insult for the greatness of other 2 from big even for Sampras and Borg too. Those 5 greats are my goats, nole being my favourite and probably the best but on the same level of greatness as other 4.

Stop beating around the bush, mate. It's Djoker.

Rod Laver won 2 calendar grand slams. No male tennis player has done it since.

Novak is a GOAT !!!!

The hard truth is, that Tennis changed over years, and the new technologies and surfaces were in Djokovics and Nadals favor, now that baseline rallies are the majority of the game. Just like people call 2003-2008 a weak era dominated by Federer, the same would go for Nadal and Djokovic nowadays

Djokovic has literally no opponents anymore... you have to be honest, players like Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Felix Aliassime, Thiem, Rublev, Sinner or Ruud were just not able to raise their level during the last couple of years or even disappeared completely (like Thiem). Of course Djokovic will hold every record in tennis as his only serious opponent will be Alcaraz in the next couple of years. On the other hand its also very suspicious that a 36yo phisically outplays everyone... do you really think this is just because of a better diet and workout plan than everyone else?

Federer had grace and the most beautifull form of playing. Effortless movement and strokes like ballet while Nadal and Novak are much more angular and stiff. I just enjoy watching Feferer move and play over the others .

Djokovic is GOAT (greatest outside-court ashamed tactics) for sure!

1. Djokovic 2. Laver 3. Rosewall 4. Federer 5. Nadal For those with less info about old days... 💗 Laver : 19 slams ( 11 + 8 ) , 7 years best player ( record shered with Djokovic ), positive score vs everyone. In 5 years of his prof tennis there was no AO ( he would win 3-4 .. ), and banned from GS turnaments 1970. for no real reason. Gram slam 1969. , and amateur 1962. but without Rosewall there ( playing prof tennis ) 💗 Rosewall : 23 slams ( 8 + 15 ) ! 35 finals ! ( records shered now with Djokovic ). Grand prof slam 1963. Same, banned 1970. from GS turnaments.

The Goat isnt a good title for any top player of any sport so whats the matter with saying THE BEST EVER IN ANY INDIVUAL SPORT. All fans have a different taste of the player and the sport they like best. Just let the fans choose who is the best for themselves. The harsh reality sports would never exist without the fans. Good Entertainment is a Breath of Fresh Air.

I think the reason of the debate is due to a psychological effect. As a teenager (2006) I followed the tennis player of my country, who was a top 10 player in the Roger & Rafa era. On those times I felt confident that the tennis player I followed could beat anybody on a good day, except Roger and Rafa (on clay). Those guys seemed like from another planet. The tennis player I followed, a consistent top 10 player, when playing with these two guys, seemed like a boy playing with adults. Then Novak start to develop his skills and yes, he could compete and beat Roger and Rafa, but for me he didn't look so scary. He was a great tennis player who belonged to this planet. When Roger and Rafa began to decline, Novak no longer had rivals, and naturally he arouse to the throne. He learned well, and his skills actually improved due to having to compete with the really actually best tennis players of the history of this sport.

Goatvax is the goat because he has the most angry simps in the comments who want us to cry more 🤣🤣🤣😂

The harsh truth is that Djokivic is not the "GOAT". He is however the best iof his era.

For me Nadal is the real GOAT. The main reason is with his limited service ability he has achieved these records. Whereas Nole and Federer are the complete player in the tennis history.

feelings do. anyone who is old enought to have witnessed 86 Mexico knows what I am talking about. by the same token, Senna's unbelievable pole lap at monaco in 1988 and the sheer poetry of Federer in so many occasions is more than enough for me...

Nadal is the goat without question. 22 grand slams. And has winning record against Djokovic in grand slams and Federer

The way i see this, in other sports is harder to tell who the goat is. For example, in basket or football you have teams of multiple players that directly influence the legend of a player that is in the goat debate. But in tennis, a 1vs1 sport, you dont have that issue. Of course the eras is tough to compare but at the end of the day what counts most is winning and i think that you have to talk about what is the hardest ere to be a tenis player. Everybody will say the big 3 era, and luckly we have a guy that has won the most during the hardest era of competition in tenis history, Novak. So to me that makes him the goat.

By the sheer scale of his monumental achievements, if anybody argues that Novak is not the GOAT based on flimsy reasoning then they are living in a fool's paradise. Novak is not only the leader in grand slams. He has a holistic record that is unparalleled. He is on a league of his own. Federer and Nadal doesn't even come close. And to top it, he is still playing outstanding tennis at 36 and one doesn't know when his peak will end. This year he has already won two and in the final of third grand slam. Both Federer and Nadal have never done this even once whereas Novak has done thrice.