Jimmy Connors compares Novak Djokovic to Muhammad Ali, Joe Montana and Wayne Gretzky: “Win or lose, he’s not afraid to put it on the line”

Novak Djokovic won his 22nd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, and former world No. 1 Jimmy Connors added to the praise for the Serb.

Nole arrived at the first major of the year with the task of equaling Rafael Nadal as the male tennis player with most Grand Slam's championships. And despite an injury, he displayed dominant play to reach his 10th Aussie Open title, against the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.

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Connors commented about Djokovic on the Advantage Connors podcast: "I want to say this, the guy's one f**king great tennis player, right? He is not afraid to go out there and play the game, his game. Win or lose. He's not afraid to put it on the line. He knows he's got a bullseye on his back. Even more now."

In this sense, the 8-time Grand Slam champion, (including Australian Open 1974) compared the Serb with various icons of other sports:

"Every great player, they'll find something that pushes them to the limit. That's what drives guys like Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzky, Pete Rose and Muhammad Ali. They always find something to dig down deeper to push them over the top to where they can continue to give it their all.

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He also highlighted his ability to play against opponents much younger than him:

"He's not afraid against all these young guys, who had some pretty good tournaments. But he's not afraid of that. He plays the game, he's not afraid to mix it up. He is not afraid to take the ball early, he's not afraid to get 20 balls to a point. He's not afraid to figure out a way to win. And, and, you know, to me, I like seeing that.”

The American also gave his opinion on the Big-3 rivalry and the discussion about who is the GOAT:

"Rivalries are so great. That's why people show up to watch the game, watch the match, and watch the excitement. Sometimes you got to find a reason, find a reason to dig deeper and come out on top and win. So what is that? Where do you find that? What do you dig into to go down into your guts? Sometimes you got to find something that just burns you to the ground to come out on top.” Opine Connors.