'He always rises again': John McEnroe compares Novak Djokovic to NBA legend

Novak Djokovic’s stature in men’s tennis is unquestionable because of what he has achieved on the court. The 38-year-old has won 24 Grand Slam titles, the most by any player in the history of men’s tennis in the Open era.

Djokovic’s results since the start of 2024 have not been as impressive as they were before, as he has only won one ATP title in the last 18 months; however, this has not impacted his fan base. The Belgrade-born player recently featured in the French Open, where his journey ended in the semifinals after losing to Jannik Sinner in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-5, 7-6.

Even though Djokovic finished a few steps behind the finishing line, it did not stop the former world number one John McEnroe from showering praise on him. The 66-year-old recently spoke to the Italian publication Corriere Della Sera, where he equated Djokovic to basketball legend LeBron James. McEnroe also stated that he is running out of ‘superlatives’ to describe how incredible Djokovic has been in his career.

"I can't help but admire him: with friends, I call him the LeBron of tennis,” said McEnroe. “Due to his age, he struggles to keep up with Sinner and Alcaraz but he remains a prodigy, a man that science must study! And he has boundless experience, his real asset. Zverev gave himself up to him by playing too much on the defensive but Jannik has a power and speed of shots that no one has today. Why should Novak stop, if he is still so competitive at 38? It leaves me speechless. The others come out in pieces from the comparison with those two young phenomena. Look at Zverev : he has never recovered from the lesson taught to him by Sinner in Australia... A great athlete, overwhelmed by the best of the best. But Djokovic doesn't, he always rises again. I've run out of superlatives [to describe his greatness]. Beyond his victories, his physical longevity is out of the ordinary. Not to mention his motivation: how does he still want to fight with the youngsters?"