For a long time now, the biggest debate in tennis has centered around who between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will finish with the most Grand Slam titles. With age and form being huge factors, it’s anybody’s guess who among the three legends will come out on top.
In an interview on Graham Bensinger’s YouTube channel, Djokovic said that he believes he can be the one who finishes with the most Majors. The Serb also said that he is confident of clinching the record for the most weeks as the top-ranked men’s player.
As of now, Federer has 20 Grand Slams to his name, Nadal has 19, while Djokovic has 17. In terms of weeks at the top spot, Federer has spent a record 310 weeks as world No 1, Djokovic is on 282 and Nadal on 209.
Asked if he can hold these records when the dust settles on the careers of these three champions, Djokovic replied in the affirmative.
“I am always very confident in myself,” he said. “Confidence is derived from self-belief, self-belief is derived from clarity, and clarity is derived from the love and joy of what you choose to do in your life. Of course, there are things that have to be sacrificed. I miss my wife and kids when I’m away from them for months. That’s really hard. But at the same time, I’m very grateful for having the support of the closest people in my life on this great mission. I also believe that this journey has chosen me.”
Djokovic added: “I do believe that I can win the most number of Grand Slams and break the record for the most weeks at the No 1 ranking. Those are definitely my clear goals. But they aren’t the only things that motivate me. On a day to day basis, that’s not sustainable. What fuels me everyday is something that’s related to my personal growth.”
The 32-year-old was also asked if he thinks he will be playing professional tennis when he is 40 years old. Djokovic replied that it is possible but things won’t be the way they are right now.
“I don’t believe in limits,” he said. “I think limits are only an illusion of your ego or mind. I definitely want to keep going for a long time, but I know that I will have to maintain the right principles and routines to maintain the health and well-being of my body, mind and soul. Everything has to work in harmony with my family and private life.
“I’m aware that the tempo and the amount of tournaments I play is going to reduce very soon. I will not be able (to play) with such intensity and so much travel for a long time. So I might be playing at 40 but then I’ll probably focus on the biggest tournaments, the ones that mean the most to me.”