Marion
Bartoli showered praise on
Novak Djokovic, selecting him as the 'best sportsman
in the world.'
The 2013
Wimbledon champion once again expressed her admiration and appreciation for
'Nole' after his remarkable season, where he won three Grand Slam titles and
the ATP Finals. At 36, Djokovic finished the year as the world No. 1 for the
8th time, extending his lead over Pete Sampras (6), Roger Federer, Rafael
Nadal, and Jimmy Connors (all with 5 each).
Bartoli, who had the opportunity to interact
with Djokovic and the rest of the Big-3 during their prime years on the tour,
considers the Serbian player to be the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) and even the
best athlete in the world.
“Djokovic
is not only the greatest tennis player of all time but he is also the best
sportsman in the world. Novak has broken all the records in this sport. and
above all this incredible longevity at the top!” former world No. 1 said.
Just a month ago, Bartoli made statements praising Djokovic and asserted that in 2023, there was a significant difference between him and the world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, who can boast of a Grand Slam compared to Djokovic's three:
"If
you will build the perfect tennis athlete you can’t have someone better than (Djokovic).
The flexibility, the smoothness, everything moves freely.”
“I think we
have to go deeper into the analysis and when you look at the season, there is
one who won three Grand Slams and one who won one Grand Slam, it’s as simple as
that. And one who played four Grand Slam finals and one who played one.”
In
Djokovic's remarkable year, he only needed 12 tournaments to claim the top
spot, securing 6 titles and achieving a record of 55-6 (90.2%). He is the
oldest player to win 55 matches in a season after turning 35 since the
Australian great Ken Rosewall in 1973.