Quotes

What other players said.

Public quotes with a name, a year, and a source when we have one.

• “I think I didn’t give Novak the respect he deserved because of his technical flaws. I felt like Novak had a very extreme forehand grip and his game was based on athleticism.”

  Roger Federer

  2024 · 20 Grand Slam titles. Rival.

  Interview reported by The Times, 11 June 2024. He talks about the early years.

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• “When you look at it on paper you just can’t argue with what he’s accomplished. The amount that he’s won, the head-to-heads, the Masters, the year-end number ones, the weeks at number… all those stats.”

  Andre Agassi

  2024 · Eight slams. Brief coach.

  The Australian, Melbourne, January 2024. He talks about the numbers, not a feeling.

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• “It almost shocks you how much he remembers in detail. If he’s looking for information, he reads, he studies, he remembers.”

  Andre Agassi

  2017 · Eight slams. Brief coach.

  Business Insider, July 2017, during the short coaching year. Off-court mind, not the return.

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• “Novak has won more Australian Opens than I’ve won slams, for crying out loud. What do you do but laugh?”

  Andre Agassi

  2024 · Eight slams. Four of them not in Australia.

  Same Melbourne sitting. Ten titles at Melbourne Park against Agassi’s four majors, total.

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• “The numbers say yes. For me, yes. Novak is the best in history.”

  Rafael Nadal

  2024 · The other man. 31–29.

  Widely reported from a sit-down in the last years of his career. We file the line as the room heard it. If a primary tape surfaces, it replaces this card.

  No original video found yet. This line is from news reports.

• “Djokovic is a great champion, and he is the one I am best with from a human point of view.”

  John McEnroe

  2022 · Seven slams. Never easy to please.

  Long interview, summer 2022. He was not asked for a slogan. He offered a preference.

  No original video found yet. This line is from news reports.

• “They keep pushing. That’s what I really respect.”

  John McEnroe

  2026 · Seven slams.

  ATP Media, Dallas, February 2026 — on Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, and the two who came after. Filed because he still puts the three in one breath.

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• “He’s won 24 Grand Slams. I never — how do you say — surprised, because I feel like he’s the greatest player for many, many years.”

  Jannik Sinner

  2026 · Rival. World No. 1.

  Australian Open, 30 January 2026, after the loss. Asked if the level surprised him. Sports Illustrated filed the room.

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