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Novak Djokovic pulls off monumental comeback, wins French Open and 19th Grand Slam title
The debate regarding the greatest men's tennis player of all time just got more heated.
"It's gonna be hard to say he's not the best of all time," said tennis legend John McEnroe of Novak Djokovic on Sunday.
After losing the first two sets, Novak Djokovic rallied in Sunday's French Open final to overcome Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets, 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
And with the win, Djokovic earned his second French Open title and 19th Grand Slam victory, putting him just a single Grand Slam victory behind both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, each with 20.
Djokovic did it by defeating Nadal in the semifinals in four sets, handing Nadal just his third loss in the history of the tournament and moving Rafa's extraordinary French Open record to 105-3.
In his career, Djokovic now owns nine Australian Opens, two French Opens, five Wimbledon titles and three US Open wins.
Now, with two Grand Slams left to be played this year, Djoker will enter Wimbledon this summer with a chance to tie Federer and Nadal for the most Grand Slam titles ever, before heading to New York for the US Open at the end of August.
He last won Wimbledon in 2019 and last won the US Open in 2018.
Djokovic is also on track to win his first-ever calendar slam, considering he's won both this year's Australian Open and French Open.
With his most recent win over Nadal, Djokovic now owns a 30-28 head-to-head advantage over Nadal. He also owns a 27-23 head-to-head advantage over Federer.
The three men are considered the best three male tennis players in the history of the sport and between them, they have won a remarkable 58 of the last 69 Grand Slam tournaments.
But if all three are equal in Grand Slam titles – nearly equal – and Djokovic owns more wins over the other two, is there any denying he's the GOAT?
It's a debate that will take place throughout the rest of this year and for years to come, unless Djokovic runs away with the Grand Slam title record, which isn't a far-fetched thought.
In fact, it's likely.
Djokovic, at age 34, is past his prime in terms of the sport of tennis. But Nadal just turned 35 on June 3, and Federer will be 40 on Aug. 8.
Djoker is still the No. 1 ranked player in the world, while Nadal sits at No. 3 and Federer at No. 8. And after Djokovic overcame Nadal at this year's French, after Nadal had won the last four French Opens, he might be favored over the "King of Clay" heading into next year's tilt at Roland Garros.
Federer, meanwhile, has not won a Grand Slam tournament since the 2018 Australian Open and has battled injuries over the past two years, withdrawing from this year's French Open after the third round.
Djokovic has won seven of the last 11 Grand Slams.
In addition, Djokovic is now the only one of the three to win each Grand Slam twice – Federer has one French Open title (2009) and Nadal has one Australian Open title (2009). He is also just the third male player of all-time to win all four Grand Slam tournaments twice, joining Roy Emerson and Rod Laver.
Check out some of the reaction to Djokovic's latest Grand Slam victory:
See you at the All England Club, Djoker.
