Tracy Austin believes Novak Djokovic can overtake Roger Federer's record tally of 20 Grand Slam titles

What's the story?

Former world number 1 Tracy Austin believes Novak Djokovic has still got four years of top-level tennis left in him.

Austin admitted that Rafael Nadal's record on clay courts is extraordinary, but she is of the belief that Djokovic will soon overtake the Spaniard, as well as Roger Federer, to cement his status as the best tennis player of all time.

The background

Federer is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, male tennis players of the Open Era. He holds the record for the most Grand Slam titles and has stayed at the summit of the ATP rankings for the highest number of weeks.

Although Djokovic has evolved his game over the years and is currently the top-ranked player in the world, he is still three Grand Slams shy of Federer's tally.

The heart of the matter

Rafael Nadal is the greatest clay courter of all time

Talking to Tennis Channel on Tuesday (18th February), Tracy Austin claimed that Rafael Nadal is the greatest clay court player of all time but Djokovic will go down as the best player across surfaces. She said:

"At the end of the day I think it’s going to be Novak. First of all, he’s not had a lot of wear-and-tear so I think he has another four years. Another four solid years where he can win on any surface. When Rafa is still around, Rafa’s still the GOAT on clay but I think the fact Novak has that head-to-head already against Roger and against Rafa. The fact of the matter is this is the young guy who had to breakthrough and every single major that he won, he’s had to play against Roger and Rafa".

She went on to reference the tough journey Djokovic has had to reach the summit of world tennis, saying:

"Roger had a kind of staggered start where he got a couple in before the other two got involved in that three-way trifecta. I think that’s been toughest on Novak and at the end of the day I think it’s Novak who’s going to have the most."

Earlier in the day, former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker gave his viewpoint on the debate, stating to the Indian Press:

“If you ask about the numbers, Roger Federer is the most successful player. If you ask about the best of all times, it's difficult because tennis was played in the 70s, 80s and 90s on different surfaces, so you can't always compare with numbers how good a player was."

What's next?

Novak Djokovic is closing in on Federer's Grand Slam tally

It will be interesting to see if the 32-year-old Djokovic, who recently won the Australian Open, can overtake Roger Federer to become the greatest tennis player of all time. He has not shown any signs of slowing down and will have his sights set on another couple of Slams this year.