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Former US Open finalist Todd martin believe Novak Djokovic He could go down in history as the greatest player of all time, as the CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame suggested that the champion who once coached has played the game “better than anyone” in the past decade.
The enduring debate over who should be hailed as the best player the game has ever seen has been the subject of tennis discussion in an era when Djokovic faced that title with his great rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
However, in an exclusive interview with Tennis365, the respected American believes that reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Djokovic has the qualities to finally be recognized as the best tennis champion.
“Roger is the most aesthetically pleasing I’ve ever seen,” said Martin, who was on the Djokovic coaching team in 2009 and 2010.
“He is pleased with the service, he is pleased with the return, the offense, the defense … everything he does really looks beautiful.”
“However, for me, if Novak is right, if Novak is confident and comfortable with his fitness and is really focused, I’ve never seen anyone more unbeatable. In my opinion, this guy has played better than anyone.” .
“His athleticism is from another world. His return from service is much better than any other return from service and I mean much better. No one has recovered so many balls and neutralized so many good services.”
“After working with him, when he’s focused he has to think of a brick wall mentality. Now he’s not always focused, but when he is and we’ve seen him for long periods, he doesn’t have to play great. He’s a great fighter and thrives on that. “
Djokovic rarely receives the acclaim accorded to Federer and Nadal by tennis fans as he travels the world as the third member of this iconic triumvirate, but Martin insists that he has grown to accept his role in the game’s narrative.
“One of the beauties of life is that life is not fair,” he continues. “Novak has figured out how to navigate as the third wheel from a public worship point of view. He has done so by demonstrating that he is not the third wheel from a capacity point of view.”
Martin offered his views on where the current ‘Big Three’ fit into the pantheon of game greats as he offered a brilliant tribute to 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras.
“What I would love to see is that this group plays against the group that it was part of, or the group (John) McEnroe, (Jimmy) Connors, (Ivan) Lendl,” he added. “I think there are certain dynamics about the technology and the structure of the tour that promote dominance in the sport, but I look at Rafa, Roger and Novak and I think they are above the competition.”
“This sport has to do with the heart and mind and Pete Sampras had the most unique competitive heart and mind I have ever met, but no one gave him much credit for it. Everyone thought he had great service, a great forehand and he was a good athlete. Those are the second, third and fourth great attributes that Pete had. No one was a fighter like any other.
“I would love to see a real battle between the best competitors in our sport and, frankly, they are not always the ones who have won the most Grand Slams in our sport.”
