Featured Image Credit: Photo: Getty
Topics: Novak Djokovic, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Lionel Messi
Ben McAleer
Topics: Novak Djokovic, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Lionel Messi
Novak Djokovic was in no doubt as to who his true sporting GOAT was as he played a game of Winner Stays On.
Djokovic is widely considered to be one of the greatest tennis stars of all time, though he was unable to make the US Open final having fallen to Carlos Alcaraz at the semi-final stage.
Even so, the Serb can justifiably be included in the Greatest of All Time argument given his exploits in tennis.
The 38-year-old has 24 grand slam titles to his name, and last year achieved the Career Golden Slam having won gold at the Paris Olympics.
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And he was put on the spot to play a game of Winner Stays On, where a celebrity or sporting star is asked to pick between one of two players or performers in a respective category.
'Overtime Tennis' asked Djokovic to name the sporting GOAT for each category, with one global superstar quickly overlooked by the legendary tennis star.
“Tom Brady, Michael Jordan,” Overtime Tennis asked Djokovic as they kicked off the game.
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“You’ve got to pick one!? Oh jeez, man. I’ll pick Tom just because I have a personal relationship with him,” Djokovic replied.
Djokovic remained loyal to former NFL star Brady for much of the game, selecting the quarterback ahead of the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and Lewis Hamilton.
However, there was one man who stopped Brady in his tracks, with Djokovic asked: “Tom Brady, Lionel Messi...”
This time, though, Djokovic replied: “Sorry Tom. Messi.”
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Finally, Djokovic was put up against Messi, and he immediately responded with the Argentine star.
Messi captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022 in what has proven the pinnacle of an unbelievable career so far.
The 38-year-old has won the Champions League, La Liga and Ligue 1 titles for club, and the Copa America twice for country.
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While many will argue that the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona and Pele were the greatest footballers to ever grace the game, it’s hard to argue against Messi claiming the tag for his own.
Messi played a final home World Cup qualifier on Thursday night as Argentina eased to a 3-0 victory over Venezuela, a match in which he scored twice.
After the victory, Messi said: “Being able to finish this way here is what I’ve always dreamed of. I’ve experienced a lot of things on this pitch, both good and not so good, but it’s always a joy to play in Argentina, in front of our fans.”
Messi is yet to give any clues on when he will call time on his international career, but has clarified that he’ll only represent Argentina at the 2026 World Cup if he feels physically able to do so.
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“Same as I said before about the World Cup that I don’t think I’ll play another. Because of my age, the most logical thing is that I won’t make it,” he added.
“But well, we’re almost there so I’m excited and motivated to play it. Like I always say, I go day by day, match by match. That’s it, taking it day by day, going by how I feel.
“Day by day, trying to feel good and above all, being honest with myself. When I feel good, I enjoy it, but when I don’t, honestly, I don’t have a good time, so I prefer not to be there if I don’t feel good. So we’ll see. I haven’t made a decision about the World Cup.
“Match by match, I’ll finish the season, then I’ll have preseason, and there will be six months left. So we’ll see how I feel. Hopefully I’ll have a good preseason in 2026 and finish this MLS season well and then I’ll decide.”