Maximum respect to Novak Djokovic.

He showed his greatness during the semi-final of the Australian Open in Melbourne, beating World No. 2 Jannick Sinner in a 5-set duel.

Last year, Djokovic got to the semi-finals of all the Grand Slams but was always bested by Carlos Alcaraz or Jannick Sinner, with them now ruling men’s tennis. 

At 38, many said Djokovic’s time had come and gone, that he would never get to a Grand Slam final again and should join Federer and Nadal in retirement. They said that the game had changed and that Alcaraz and Sinner has elevated it to a new level beyond the veteran.

I said last year, Djokovic has at least two more Grand Slams in him and should retire like Pete Sampras did in 2002, after defying the odds and winning another Slam.  Djokovic may very well create history on Sunday, bagging his twenty-fifth Grand Slam title.

Earlier this week, a reporter disrespected the Serbian asking him whether he was now chasing Sinner and Alcaraz rather like how he chased Federer and Nadal back in the day.

His answer was priceless: “ I find it a little bit disrespectful that you miss out on what happened in between where when I started chasing, as you say, Rafa and Roger, and now I’m chasing Carlos and Jannick. There’s probably a fifteen year period in between where I dominated the Grand Slams. It is important to put that in perspective. I don’t feel like I’m chasing to be honest. I’m creating my own history.

“Are Sinner and Alcaraz better than me and the other guys right now? Yeah, the quality level is great but does that mean I walk out with a white flag? No, I’m going to fight until the last shot and do my very best to challenge them.”

That response right there is why Djokovic is the GOAT. It is something all winners, whatever their field of expertise is, must have- True Grit.

Djokovic has taken on three generations of tennis stars ( Murray/Roddick, Federer/Nadal, Sinner/Alcaraz) and still is a threat-remarkable.

Now two years shy of his fortieth birthday and given all he has accomplished, he should now play just ten tournaments a year, preserve his body, save his energy for these draining battles at the final stages of big tournaments.

It is possible he can win both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year, thus defying the haters.

They wrote him off, said he was washed up, an old man. Even John McEnroe didn’t give him a chance.

Taking down Sinner was big. He has to recover and do it all again against Alcaraz. 

He played at a phenomenal level against Sinner, pushing back time. Both his serve and forehand were destructive weapons.

The man believes in himself. This was one of his best performances over the last decade. 

Big Up Novak!