Novak Djokovic has rewritten history over the course of his glittering career. The Serbian superstar is the only player in the Open Era to claim 24 Grand Slam titles, and he's spent a record 428 weeks at No. 1 in the world. So Djokovic has, of course, been involved in some epic matches - especially against Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
One memorable contest came at Wimbledon in 2019, when Djokovic saved two match points to beat Federer in a nailbiting final. But the 38-year-old says that, technically, his best match came elsewhere.
Djokovic picked out a few great battles when asked to name the best match he had ever played. However, when it came to his own performance, there was one clear winner.
"The best match I was ever part of would be the final of the Australian Open in 2012 against Nadal. That is the longest Grand Slam final ever," the current world No. 5 told the ATP.
"And against Roger in 2019, the final of Wimbledon. Those were the best matches I was ever part of. But the best match I ever played would be probably the final of the Australian Open against Nadal in 2019. I beat him in the final in straight sets and the level of tennis was really high."
Djokovic left Nadal looking helpless at Melbourne Park almost seven years ago. The Serb needed a little over two hours to seal a straightforward 6-3 6-2 6-3 victory - his most dominant win over Nadal in a Major final.
The Spaniard had no answers, hitting 28 unforced errors, while Djokovic made just nine. It was Djokovic's 15th Grand Slam title - he's won nine more since then.
Now aged 38, Djokovic is the last man standing in the Big Three, as Federer waved goodbye at the 2022 Laver Cup, while Nadal hung up his racket 12 months ago during the Davis Cup Finals.
The current world No. 5 has formed some exciting new rivalries with young champions Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, but nothing compares to the competition that he had with Federer and Nadal.
"[Our rivalries are] very different, because I spent most of my career with my two greatest rivals: Nadal and Federer," Djokovic explained.
"Of course Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are also my rivals at the moment, but they're so young. I have 15 years of difference on the tour to them, so our rivalries are a few years old, and I have 20 years of rivalry with the other guys. So it's not really comparable."
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