Casper Ruud shares 'hot take' about Novak Djokovic while comparing him to LeBron James & Tom Brady in ultimate GOAT debate

Casper Ruud shared his 'hot take' that Novak Djokovic is the greatest athlete across all sports, even surpassing Tom Brady and LeBron James. Casper Ruud has advanced to three Grand Slam finals in his career and will soon take the court for the US Open.

But first, during Fan Week, he and the reigning Cincinnati Open titlist, Iga Swiatek, will go head-on with Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe in the mixed doubles 1R.

But before that, he shifted his attention to the player with the most Grand Slam titles in history, Novak Djokovic. In a candid interview with Overtime Tennis, the host wished to know who Ruud thinks is the greatest in sports, asking:

"What's your hot take?"

Ruud picked Djokovic as his favorite player across all sports, even suggesting that the Serb could surpass one of the greatest NFL players, Tom Brady, in certain physical tests.

However, the Norwegian player also felt that NBA legend LeBron James might be tough on Djokovic while dismissing the idea of comparing sportsmen of different sports.

"I don't want to compare, because it's stupid, but you take Novak's athleticism next to Brady. Brady's the GOAT, don't get me wrong, but I think Novak would crush him in all the physical tests that you can do. And then again, LeBron would maybe crush Novak in certain physical tests, I don't know. But for me, Novak is the greatest athlete that ever lived."

Djokovic has had narrow exits in the past in some Grand Slams. He last won his 24th title at the 2023 US Open, but didn't give up on his dreams of achieving the record-breaking 25th at the Flushing Meadows this year.

Casper Ruud once noted how Novak Djokovic lets opponents play rallies, unlike Jannik Sinner

Ruud at the National Bank Open 2025 - Day 4 - (Source: Getty)

Casper Ruud was head-on with the World No. 1 at the 2024 ATP Finals and lost the semifinals in straight sets. Following the thrill Sinner displayed, Ruud compared Sinner and Novak Djokovic's playing styles, arguing that the Serb at least allows opponents to play, while the Italian generates massive power and speed.

"No, I don't think so, in my opinion, because they play different tennis. I mean, I think on TV it looks probably similar the way they play. But Jannik hits a faster ball than Novak. He doesn't let you breathe. With Novak you can play rallies. Not going to say easier to play Novak because he's the best in the history. At least with Novak you can play more rallies and not be terrified of Novak ripping, like, a bomb down the line or cross-court or these things." (via post-match press conference)

Casper Ruud was ranked No. 2 in September 2022, making him the highest-ranked Norwegian in history.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua