Novak Djokovic loves to make records and he did it once again after beating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 in the 2023 US Open final on Sunday.
The Serbian is still creating history at the age of 36, competing and beating the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and others, who are 10-15 years younger than him, on the biggest stages.
After beating Medvedev, Djokovic claimed his fourth US Open and record 24th Grand Slam.
Djokovic’s 24 Grand Slam titles consist of 10x Australian Open, 7x Wimbledon, 4x US Open and 3x Roland Garros.
The 36-year-old played all four Grand Slam finals this year and won three of them, losing the Wimbledon 2023 final against Alcaraz after a five-set battle.
This was the fourth time he bagged three slams in a single season, surpassing Roger Federer, who did it three times during his legendary career.
The 24-time Grand Slam triumphant is not only considered the greatest tennis player of all time but also the greatest sportsman.
Djokovic was asked the same question by the Serbian media and the 36-year-old gave an interesting reply.
"I leave that to you guys and all the others, whether I deserve to be a part of that debate," he said.
"One thing is a fact, though – if I wasn’t from Serbia, I’d have been glorified on a sporting level many years ago, especially in the west.
"I mean, that was already, you know, incredibly high ambition for someone coming from a family with no tennis tradition, for a boy in Serbia going through sanctions and embargo, war-torn country, and being part of the very expensive and unaffordable, unaccessible sport," he said.
After winning the final, Djokovic also paid tribute to his late friend Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant, by wearing a T-Shirt with 'Mamba Forever' on the front and the number 24 on the back.
"I thought of doing this T-shirt, eventually, if I get the chance to win the tournament," said Djokovic. "Kobe was a close friend, we chatted a lot about the winner's mentality.
"When I was struggling with injury he was one of the people I relied on the most."