Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently claimed that the GOAT race will now start in earnest after it became clear that Novak Djokovic will be able to play in all four Grand Slams in 2023.
On Sunday (January 29), the 35-year-old beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to reign supreme at Melbourne Park for a tenth time and move level with all-time men's Grand Slam title leader Rafael Nadal (22).
The two legends will begin their battle for Slam #23 at Roland Garros in the summer, where Nadal is the defending champion and has won 14 of the last 18 titles. The Spaniard could triumph there yet again before the bandwagon shifts to Wimbledon, where Djokovic, the defending champion, has won seven titles and could make it 23 titles apiece.
Djokovic's participation at the US Open was in doubt because of his COVID-19 vaccination stance. However, with the US relaxing the rules for the entry of unvaccinated foreigners from May 11, the Serb is now set to compete in New York, where he could possibly take the lead in the all-time Grand Slam title leaderboard.
Mouratoglou posted on social media that the GOAT race will "really start" now:
"Novak Djokovic will be able to play the 4 GS in 2023. The GOAT race will really start ..."
Djokovic is now 12-0 in 2023 and 28-0 at the Australian Open, having won his last 28 matches.