Goran Ivanisevic, who reached World No. 2 during his playing career and claimed the Wimbledon title in 2001, is widely regarded as one of Croatia’s greatest tennis players. Beyond his accomplishments on the court, Ivanisevic made his mark as a coach, guiding Novak Djokovic from 2019 to 2024 and helping the Serbian superstar win nine major titles during their partnership. Recently, the Croatian shared his perspective on the heated debate surrounding the greatest tennis player of all time—Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, or Rafael Nadal.
It comes as no surprise that Ivanisevic, a former coach of Djokovic, chose his former pupil as the greatest of all time (GOAT). In a recent interview on YouTube with Croatian sports outlet “(Ne)uspjeh prvaka,” the Wimbledon champion offered a compelling analysis of the tennis legends in the GOAT discussion.
“These are the three greatest players ever. Maybe I’d compare them like this: Federer plays the most beautiful tennis. Even when he plays badly, it is a joy to watch,” Ivanisevic said. “Then there is Rafa. A fighter to exhaustion. He is a fighter who gives his all on the court. Winning 14 French Opens – that will never happen again. Not just in tennis but in any sport”.
Despite praising both Federer and Nadal, Ivanisevic ultimately ranked Djokovic above the other two legends. “Novak is the most complete of all three. The best, the greatest of all time,” he continued. “I’m sorry that in 2023 he was just one or two points away from winning Wimbledon. Then he would have won all four [Grand Slam titles in the same year]. In 2021, he lost to Medvedev and didn’t play his best”.
“But Novak is the most complete. At Roland Garros, Nadal was better, but Novak was always the one who could win all four. That golden slam, including the Olympics. He is by far the most complete player,” Ivanisevic added. “They pushed each other, made each other even better. Novak came later; maybe that’s why he’s less appreciated by some”.