Novak Djokovic snubbed as greatest athlete of all-time by former tennis world No1

Yevgeny Kafelnikov has snubbed Novak Djokovic as the greatest ever athlete - but concedes he is the best tennis player of all time.

Kafelnikov, a former Olympic champion and world tennis no.1, has claimed that basketball legend Michael Jordan takes the title of the greatest athlete ever, with Djokovic ranked in the top three. The Serbian tennis star claimed the final honour he was missing in his career this month after he beat Carlos Alcaraz 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–2) in Paris to secure an Olympic gold medal.

Djokovic has won a multitude of major titles - including 10 Australian Opens, three French Opens, seven Wimbledon titles, four US Opens, plus his Olympic gold medal.

The 37-year-old was visibly emotional as he secured one of the last medals he was aiming for in his glittering 21-year career - as he became the fifth man to complete the historic Golden Slam in tennis. The Golden Slam includes winning the Olympic gold medal as well as the Australian Open, French Open, US Open and Wimbledon.

Despite all these achievements in his long career, Kafelnikov is convinced that Djokovic is only in the top three of the greatest athletes of all time.

Speaking to Tennis Majors, the 50-year-old said: "There’s no doubt that Novak is the greatest tennis player of all time, that’s for sure. You can’t put him on the same level as Michael Jordan…I don’t think so, because I grew up idolising the greatest athlete of all time, which was Michael Jordan.

"All I wanted to do was watch him play live. To me, he’s still number one, but Novak is definitely in the top three greatest athletes of all time, without a doubt – all the accomplishments, the records he’s broken, the titles he’s won."

With Djokovic now having won everything available in tennis, Kafelnikov is unsure where Djokovic will go in his career - and feels that he will only continue competing out of sheer love for the sport.

He said: "Novak stayed motivated because he wanted to win the gold medal. Right now, it’s going to be hard to find the motivation. He doesn’t need to prove to anybody that he is better than Federer and Nadal, that’s for sure. What next? I have no idea.

"If he wants to continue playing for the pure joy of playing, fair enough, nobody will criticise him for that. Again, he has accomplished everything, I don’t know how he can find the motivation to go further than he already has. That’s how I see it."

At the beginning of the Olympics, Djokovic admitted that retirement wasn't on his mind and that he will continue to play until he isn't enjoying it anymore. He said: "I don’t have retirement close in my mind, to be honest. Even though I know a lot of people would love me to retire. I think as long as there is at least one of us left in the competition, I think the era is still going.

"Of course there is a change of generations, (Carlos) Alcaraz and (Jannik) Sinner, currently they are two of the best in the world, deservedly. They are playing at a very high level. They’re very young and they are going to carry the sport in the future.

"I’ve been present for the shift of many generations in the last 15 years, I like to see that, but I think it’s also great I’m still able to play. Of course the end is nearer than the beginning, I know that. I still enjoy competition and I’ll keep going until I don’t enjoy it any more."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.