Where Does Novak Djokovic Rank Among Tennis Greats?

Novak Djokovic making a first-round exit at a Grand Slam event is extremely rare, but it’s what happened at this year’s US Open tournament. The world’s No. 5-ranked player lost to unseeded Argentine Mariano Navone in five sets, marking his earliest exit since the 2006 Australian Open. 

While Navone’s win is definitely one of those shocking sports upsets, anybody who watched the match could clearly tell that Djokovic was dealing with medical issues.

Is this a temporary thing, or is Djokovic’s 39-year-old body starting to show signs that his competitive playing days are winding down?

Hypothetically speaking, if Djokovic were to step away from the game in the next few years, where would he rank among the all-time tennis greats? 

His 24 career Grand Slam titles and 1,177 career wins pretty much guarantee him a spot on the Mount Rushmore of all-time great men’s tennis players. 

Here’s a closer look at how his body of work compares to the current and retired stars. 

Is This a Career-Threatening Health Condition? 

The US Open isn’t the first time that Djokovic has dealt with his undisclosed health issue. His run at the August Cincinnati Open ended in the second round after he collapsed on the court. At the US Open, the combination of cramping, pain, and nausea all impacted Djokovic’s ability to perform at his best, especially as the match went into the fourth and fifth sets. 

Djokovic spoke with media members after the loss and explained the challenge he faced during the match against Navone. 

“Yeah, the back just gave up in the end, and the shoulder, and I couldn’t close it out,” Djokovic said. “I was a break up in the fourth, but just struggled all the way, since the fourth game of the match."

He arrived in New York riding a win streak of 78 straight first-round matches. 

It’s hard to really say at this point how Djokovic’s health condition will impact the rest of his career. However, since the retirement word wasn’t mentioned during his recent media session, it would seem that Djokovic isn’t planning to step away from the ATP Tour.

Djokovic Knows All About Winning Championships 

When the US Open bracket was set, sports betting odds listed Djokovic among the favorites at Flushing Meadows with +1100 odds. FanDuel Sportsbook had Jannik Sinner, who withdrew from the tournament due to injury, as the favorite (-170), followed by Carlos Alcaraz (+175). 

Djokovic has won the US Open four times, with the most recent championship coming three years ago. However, this is just a small sampling of his overall success.

*Australian Open Record 

*Wimbledon record for wins 

+ All-time record

Strong Case For Why Djokovic May Be Best Of All-Time 

Looking at the list of men’s tennis Grand Slam title winners, Djokovic’s name appears in the No. 1 spot with 24. Rafael Nadal, 22, and Roger Federer, 20, who are both retired, rank second and third, respectively. If Djokovic wins one more Grand Slam title before he calls it a career, he would be the first tennis player, male or female, with 25.  Australian Margaret Court holds the top spot on the ladies' side with 24.

As far as career singles titles (101) and individual wins (1,177) during the Open era, Djokovic ranks third in both categories behind Jimmy Connors (109 titles, 1,274 wins) and Federer (103 titles, 1,251 wins). 

Besides owning multiple career Grand Slams, Djokovic is in an elite club, being just one of three men’s tennis players to win four or more consecutive Grand Slam titles. It included winning Wimbledon and the US Open in 2015 and continued with the Australian Open and French Open the following year; Don Budge (1937-38) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) are the only others to achieve this rare accomplishment.  

Add in his 10 Aussie Open singles titles, 107 career wins at Wimbledon, and seven ATP Final crowns, and a strong argument can be made that the future hall-of-famer has achieved G.O.A.T. status.

Djokovic vs. Federer Career Comparison

Any conversations regarding Djokovic’s overall career need to include Federer, who has been retired since 2022. The reason being is that these two European stars enjoyed quite the rivalry not that long ago, as they faced each other 50 times. Djokovic holds the slight 27-23 advantage, and it includes the 2020 Australian Open semifinal win. They have also faced each other in several Grand Slam finals, the most recent being the 2019 Wimbledon final, which Djokovic also won.

Along the way, Djokovic has broken several records set by Federer, with one of the bigger ones being the ATP Finals record for career individual titles. As long as Djokovic remains active on the tour, and there have been no reports of that scenario changing, he’ll likely surpass Federer’s career titles, and might even have a shot at topping him in match wins. 

His rivalry with Federer has been one of many with recently retired and current highly ranked players. The bigger names include the following.

Will Djokovic Continue Pursuit Of Grand Slam Title No. 25? 

With the US Open being the year’s final Grand Slam event, Djokovic’s body is getting some much-needed rest and recovery time. There is no need to make any major career decisions in September, especially since the Australian Open is still several months away.

Since Melbourne is where he has enjoyed the most career success regarding Grand Slam titles, it would be fitting that his 25th title would be won there.

The road is not going to be easy, given that other top-ranked stars like Alcaraz, Sinner, and Zverev are all in their 20s. Then again, Djokovic holds the individual records that these younger players are chasing.

So with or without the No. 25 Grand Slam title, there is no question that Djokovic secured his spot among the all-time tennis greats,