"That might be right there at the top" - John McEnroe selects Novak Djokovic's greatest accomplishment
ATP
After having won every title in professional tennis, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic has compiled a list of memorable accomplishments. However, former World No.1 John McEnroe believes a recent achievement might mean the most to the Serbian.
Djokovic stands alone at the top of the list for most Grand Slam singles titles won by a male player in the Open Era, having captured 24 during his distinguished career. Furthermore, the 37-year old has displayed an impressive longevity, racking up the most weeks as World No.1 in the history of the ATP Rankings, seven titles in the end-of-season ATP Finals and more Masters 1000 titles than anyone else.
McEnroe identifies Djokovic's best achievement
At a recent Eurosport event, the retired seven-time Grand Slam champion was asked to select what he considered to be Djokovic's greatest accomplishment.
Oh boy, that’s a question,” responded the American. “It’s hard to pick just one given everything he has achieved. You look back at the final where he beat Nadal in almost six hours to win the Australian Open (in 2012). Then you look at how he became such a great grass court player and his record of winning seven Wimbledon titles.
“Saving the match points against Roger (Federer) in the 2019 Wimbledon final was pretty amazing and he has also saved match points at the US Open before going on to win the the title in New York. There is a long list because this guy is the most successful tennis player of all-time.
“Yet it seems like because he hadn’t won the Olympics and that was the one missing off his record, his gold medal in Paris a few weeks ago might just mean the most to him. He stated how much he wanted to win it, so that might be right up there at the top.
"It was pretty unexpected because he had the issue with the knee and we weren’t sure if he was going to play at Wimbledon. Then he gets to Paris and plays the way he did, beating Carlos Alcaraz in a pretty incredible final, so that win will be right up there on his list.”
“Saving the match points against Roger (Federer) in the 2019 Wimbledon final was pretty amazing and he has also saved match points at the US Open before going on to win the the title in New York. There is a long list because this guy is the most successful tennis player of all-time.
“Yet it seems like because he hadn’t won the Olympics and that was the one missing off his record, his gold medal in Paris a few weeks ago might just mean the most to him. He stated how much he wanted to win it, so that might be right up there at the top.
"It was pretty unexpected because he had the issue with the knee and we weren’t sure if he was going to play at Wimbledon. Then he gets to Paris and plays the way he did, beating Carlos Alcaraz in a pretty incredible final, so that win will be right up there on his list.”
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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