What Novak Djokovic does for tennis is 'unbelievable'

Tennis legend Bjorn Borg has heaped praise on Novak Djokovic, saying what the Serbian player has "done for tennis is unbelievable."

Djokovic is currently tied with Spanish star Rafael Nadal with a tally of 22 Grand Slam trophies, which is a joint world record among ATP players.

World No. 2 Djokovic holds multiple records himself, including the most number of weeks as the top-ranked player in the ATP – 380 weeks. He has also finished as the year-end No. 1 on seven occasions, and has won a record 38 ATP Masters singles titles.

The 35-year-old Serb has never hesitated to admit that he wants to make and break more records as that keeps him motivated to keep going in the sport. It is widely known that before retiring, Djokovic wants to have the outright solo record for the most Grand Slams.

'Djokovic is a fantastic player'

Borg, who won 11 Grand Slam titles across the French Open and Wimbledon, backed Djokovic to fulfil his goal, and he also lauded the Serbia national's impact on the sport.

"Novak I think he might win one or two more Grand Slam tournaments, who knows, but what he is doing not for himself but for tennis in general is unbelievable," the Swede told The ATP Tennis Radio Podcast.

"He's still pushing the limits, he wants to be the greatest, he wants to win more tournaments and break all the records in tennis history, he's a fantastic player," added Borg, who became the first man in the Open Era to win 11 Grand Slam singles titles.

Borg, who won five consecutive Wimbledon titles, believes that Nadal may play for maybe another year, depending on his mentality or fitness, but Djokovic still has a few more years as he is very much enjoying his tennis at present.

With Roger Federer having retired and Djokovic and Nadal arguably in the twilight years of their careers, the future of tennis seems to be changing. Spain's Carlos Alcaraz is currently at the top, having won the US Open in 2022 at the age of 19. He also became the youngest World No.1 as he currently holds the top rank, ahead of 35-year-old Djokovic.

'Important to promote upcoming players'

Borg also emphasised how important it is for the tennis fraternity to promote the growing stars.

"Then you have a new generation coming up with so many good players and it is very important for media to promote this new generation coming up because they are unbelievable, professional, they play great tennis, but it is important to promote these players," the Sweden national added.

If there is anything that could hinder Djokovic's run in tennis, it would be his Covid vaccine related rules. He recently missed the ATP 1000 Masters in Indian Wells and is set to miss another Masters tournament in Miami because he is unvaccinated against Covid-19. Since the U.S are still strict with the rules in regards to Covid-19, Djokovic has been denied entry to the country for being unvaccinated.

The United States still wants its international visitors to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and proof will be required until at least April 10.

Djokovic, who was not allowed to compete in the US Open last year and appears to once again be set to miss it this year, has maintained a firm stand against the Covid-19 vaccine. Djokovic also missed last year's Australian Open and was deported from the country because of his vaccination status. The former World No. 1 player has said he would skip Grand Slams rather than have a Covid-19 vaccination.

The Serbian player started off 2023 by winning two titles: Adelaide International, an ATP 250 tournament, and the Australian Open. Djokovic was on a 12-match winning streak when he entered the ATP 500 Dubai Championships. However, he faced his first defeat of the season when former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev defeated him in straight sets in the semi-final at the Dubai tournament.