"Belittles every success": Novak Djokovic's former coach says Western press don't want to acknowledge GOAT status

Nikola Pilic, former coach of Novak Djokovic, has recently voiced his belief that some sections of the press underestimate the Serbian player.

World No. 1 likely broke the biggest record of his career this season by winning 3 Grand Slam titles and becoming the most decorated tennis player in history. The 24-times Grand Slam champion had one of the best years of his career, surpassing Rafael Nadal, who has 22 titles, and Roger Federer, who has 20.

Djokovic, at 36 years old, continues to dominate the rankings, with over 400 weeks at the top (an absolute record). He is the most successful player in ATP Finals and Masters 1000 history, among many other achievements in his career.

However, his former coach, Nikola Pilic, spoke to the Serbian website "Kurir" and stated that 'Nole' is undervalued by a significant part of the press.

“The Western press belittles every success of Novak and they don't want to accept that he is the GOAT, and that is already a finished story. Today I received a German magazine and on the cover is Federer in a tuxedo,” he said.

“What will Federer do on the cover the day after the tournament in Turin foreign? With all due respect for everything he has done, he has been in his well-deserved retirement for a year now. This is their disparagement, but in vain, Novak won and told them "arriveders" boys - continued one of the most deserving people that Novak is where it is," Piilic added.

Novak Djokovic recently fulfilled the mission of defending his title at the ATP Finals (victory over Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3). He reached 7 trophies, surpassing Federer, and ended the year as the undisputed world No. 1. Djokovic's last challenge will be in the Davis Cup, a trophy that Serbia already won in 2010. They will face the Great Britain team in the quarterfinals starting on Thursday, November 23.