Novak Djokovic 'is LeBron James' - Nick Kyrgios responds after tennis star compared to Michael Jordan by fellow pro
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Updated 07/02/2024 at 12:09 GMT
Novak Djokovic will turn 37 in the summer, but the world No. 1 is still going strong. He won three Grand Slam titles last season and reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open to start 2024. Fellow veteran Richard Gasquet said he "can't explain" how Djokovic is still so good as he likened him to Michael Jordan, before Eurosport's Nick Kyrgios responded with his own comparison.
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Richard Gasquet has compared Novak Djokovic to NBA great Michael Jordan in terms of his incredible longevity, while Nick Kyrgios has suggested that he is actually more similar to LeBron James.
Djokovic, 36, won three Grand Slam titles last year and is one away from breaking the all-time record, which he shares with Margaret Court.
Although he was beaten in the semi-finals of the Australian Open last month, he is still ranked world No. 1 and has outlined his ambitions to win more major titles.
Gasquet, 37, said that Djokovic’s continued high-level play deep into his career reminds him of Jordan, who won his last NBA title at the age of 35.
Asked by L’Equipe about the inevitable decline with age, Gasquet said: “One has to become less good, apart from Djokovic, who wins Grand Slams at almost 37 years old.
“Have we ever experienced this in sport, apart from perhaps Jordan?
“[Lionel] Messi plays in Miami, the others in Saudi Arabia, he is world No. 1... I can't explain how a guy like that is so strong at that age.
“At 37-38 years old, normally you are not as good as at 25. I never thought I'd be playing the year I turned 38. Unimaginable.”
Responding to a Eurosport post highlighting Gasquet's quotes on Instagram, Kyrgios put forwarded a different suggestion.
"No, he is LeBron," Kyrgios wrote in response to Gasquet's comments.
"LeBron is still doing this at 40. Jordan stopped a lot earlier and wasn't as dominant."
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Djokovic is next set to play when he makes his return to Indian Wells next month.
He has a 13-1 winning record against Gasquet, who has slipped down to No. 131 in the world this year.
It is the first time he has been outside the top 100 since 2005.
“It was a bit difficult,” he says about the fall in ranking.
“I knew it was going to happen one day or another. I didn't think I would stay in the 100 for so long.
“I suspected that after Auckland [when his points dropped off from winning the title last year] it would become inevitable.
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“It's just that you shouldn't suffer on the court. That's what will make me stop: physical pain. If I feel I can no longer win a match, or if I'm in pain, if I can no longer arch, no longer make the effort... It's a bit harder than last year.
“I haven’t had good results in 2024. For three, four, months, I haven't played very well. There was a little setback, though...[Andy] Murray had it too. You feel like you have a little less legs.
“As long as there is a little spark...I don't have any particular pressure. When things have to stop, they'll stop by themselves.
“The good thing is that I would have given until the end and I have no regrets. I've already pushed it this far…”
Asked about a potential farewell this season, Gasquet added: “When you're French, it's either Roland-Garros or Bercy. As did Jo [Wilfried-Tsonga] and Gilles [Simon] I think about it a little, but not too much.”
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