Russian tennis legend Yevgeny Kafelnikov says there is no doubt that Novak Djokovic is the greatest of all time in tennis but the former two-time Grand Slam champion also adds that he has big concerns over the Serb’s motivation going forward simply because he has now accomplished everything possible.

Ex- Slam champ and No. 1 shares major fear he now has for Novak Djokovic

After surpassing Rafael Nadal on the all-time Grand Slam list last year and becoming the first man with 24 Majors and also the first-ever tennis player with 400 weeks at the world No. 1 spot, Djokovic now also has an Olympic gold medal.

Statistically, Djokovic has achieved more than his two biggest rivals – Nadal and Roger Federer. And while some have been saying for a year now that the GOAT debate is sealed and definitely won by Djokovic, the Serb’s accomplishments have led to some wondering if he is in contention for the greatest athlete of all time.

Asked about it, former world No. 1 and 2000 Sydney Olympics gold medalist Kafelnikov says Djokovic is “definitely” in the top-3 of all-time athletes.

“There is no question whether Novak is the greatest of all time in tennis, that’s for sure. Whether you can put him on the same level as Michael Jordan… I don’t, because I grew up idolizing the greatest athlete of all time, which is Michael Jordan – all I wanted was to watch him play live. To me, he is always No. 1, but Novak is definitely among the top three greatest athletes of all time, undoubtedly – all the accomplishments, records that he has broken, titles he has won…” Kafelnikov told Tennis Majors.Yevgeny Kafelnikov Yevgeny Kafelnikov© Getty Images Sport – Omar Rawlings

Kafelnikov’s fears for Djokovic

After suffering one of the most heartbreaking and devastating defeats of his career in the Tokyo Olympics semifinal to Alexander Zverev, Djokovic vowed to get back stronger at the 2024 Paris Olympics. And after Tokyo, Djokovic spoke numerous times about how important was for him to get an Olympic gold medal and complete his resume.

Now that Djokovic has everything he ever wanted and basically has nothing else to prove, Kafelnikov fears it may be impossible for the Serb to motivate himself. But even if that happens, the 50-year-old Russian underlines that Djokovic has deserved to continue playing for pure joy if he wants to and nobody can criticize him for that.

“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 criticize 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.” Kafelnikov explained.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic© Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill

Kafelnikov: Djokovic would have regretted all his life…

Before Djokovic took to the court to face Carlos Alcaraz in the Paris Olympics final, Kafelnikov wrote on X that it was the most important match of the Serb’s career. Considering that Djokovic previously had been in 37 Grand Slam finals, some found that claim as bold.

But Kafelnikov believes his statement was fully in place as he knows what Djokovic has been saying for years – and adds that had the Serb lost – he would have had regrets over that his entire life. Also, the Russian tennis legend mentioned how some started saying only after the final that becoming an Olympic champion was “necessary” for Djokovic.

“I’ve said it before – Olympic gold is as important as a Grand Slam title. I tweeted the day before the match that this final was the most important match of Novak Djokovic’s career. I was absolutely sure about it. If Novak had lost on Sunday, he would have regretted it all his life. He won and proved my comments true afterwards. To be honest, it’s so funny seeing Novak’s fans on social media now – before, they were saying the Olympics were not important,  but now they find it important, saying that it was necessary for him to win it,” Kafelnikov said.

How a scammer used forged emails to convince her boss to give her S$3.7 million over 10 yearsSponsored | CNA

Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic© Getty Images Sport – Maja Hitij

Meanwhile, Djokovic didn’t want to speak or think about his future after the Paris Olympics. When asked about his future plans and hopes, Djokovic said: “I don’t know. To be honest, probably for the first time in my career I don’t want to make plans or talk about what’s next because I worked for this medal so hard, for so many years.”