Djokovic the emperor, the rest are just court jesters, quips Ruud

Norway’s tennis star Casper Ruud believes that former world number one Novak Djokovic deserves to be considered the greatest tennis player of all time. The 37-year-old has been in discussion about the GOAT tennis player along with the likes of Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Switzerland’s Roger Federer.

Djokovic has won 24 Grand Slam titles in his illustrious career, joint-most in the history of tennis, both men’s and women’s tennis. He is closely followed by the likes of Nadal who has won 22 Grand Slams and Federer who has lifted the major title 20 times. The Belgrade-born star recently completed his trophy cabinet after finally winning the Olympic gold medal for his country.

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He achieved this feat during the recently concluded Paris Olympics, where he defeated Spain’s young tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz in the singles category final in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 7-6. Three-time Grand Slam runner-up Ruud was recently quoted in a report where he praised the legendary tennis star for his achievements on the court. The 25-year-old was of the opinion that a few years back, there was a comparison to be made between Djokovic and Federer, but the Serb has exceeded all his rivals, and in his opinion, he is the greatest tennis player of all time.

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“Djokovic is a tough nut to crack and certainly deserves to be considered the best of all time,” he said. “There is no doubt about everything he has won. I often say that it is not possible to ‘round off’ tennis like a video game when there is nothing else to achieve, but in terms of merits and tournament victories, Djokovic has won all the titles possible. It was fantastic to see him win Olympic gold this season. I hesitated a little when I answered this a few years ago. I had equated Federer and Djokovic, but Djokovic has done so much for so long. Now he has also got the Olympic gold he was missing.”