“The God of tennis”, “King of the Grand Slam” or “The number one in history” are some of the headlines today in the international press after Novak Djokovic became the tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles in history, by win his twenty-third at Roland Garros on Sunday.
The Serbian has recovered the world number one after defeating the Norwegian Casper Ruud in three sets in the final of the French tournament, and in his country the most prominent sports newspapers have already placed the tennis player at the top of the sport’s history.
“Novak Djokovic is since yesterday, by all parameters, the best tennis player in history,” writes the sports daily Sportski zurnal under the headline “The God of tennis.” He explains that with the victory in Paris he has become the first tennis player who has won at least three titles in the four Grand Slams (10 Australian Open, 7 Wimbledon, 3 US Open and 3 Roland Garros). ).
He adds that he is also the only one who has qualified at least ten times for the semifinals of each of the four Grand Slams and praises his “brilliant game, authentic style, splendid talent, enormous perseverance, indomitable character, great confidence in itself, superiority, dignity, serious and cheerful character at the same time”.
“Despite his age (36), he plays with more and more courage and creativity,” says Sportski zurnal. The newspaper “Politika” writes under the headline “The greatest of all time” that Djokovic is “the record holder” and “Challenges, desire and motivation foster the magician of the racket”, he indicates.
The newspaper “Danas” points out that “as of June 11, 2023, Djokovic is also officially the best tennis player in history.” The newspaper includes a statement from the Serbian NBA basketball player Nikola Jokic, one of the greats of his sport, that “being Djokovic’s compatriot is a great honor, he is brilliant, he writes history.”
The media also broadcast the congratulations of the Serbian senior officials to the tennis player, such as that of the Sports Minister, Zoran Gajic, who considered that “Djokovic’s achievements will be studied for years to come, his mental strength, the quality of the game and the courage , which are characteristics of sports heroes”.
In Spain, the historic victory of the Serb in Paris has been echoed. Mundo Deportivo declared Djokovic the “king of the Grand Slam” and the newspapers AS and Sport spoke along the same lines, headlining that “he remains alone at the top of men’s tennis” and “rises as number one in history”. respectively.
In addition, other newspapers mentioned Rafael Nadal in the midst of the Serbian’s feat. El Mundo stated that “it is enshrined in the kingdom of Nadal”, while Marca said that “it takes over from Nadal in the Olympus of tennis”.
The international press has also elevated the feat of the tennis player to the highest. “The conquistador Novak Djokovic moves into the house that Rafael Nadal built” has been the headline in The Guardian. The Gazzetta dello Sport crowned him with “Djokovic, here is the story”, and Eurosport sentenced “Novak Djokovic, the debate is over”.
Among the congratulations there was no shortage of Rafael Nadal, who wrote on his Twitter account: “Congratulations on this incredible achievement, Novak Djokovic. 23 is a number that a few years ago was impossible to think of, and you have achieved it! Enjoy it with your family and team!”
For his part, Djokovic himself has not wanted to raise the tone of his achievement and has been very clear with his position in tennis history: “Declaring myself the best would be disrespectful to other tennis players and athletes.”
