Jack Draper has hailed Novak Djokovic as the greatest tennis player of all time as he shared his thoughts on the Serbian icon reaching the 2026 Australian Open final.<\/p>\n
Djokovic<\/a> reached his 11th Australian Open final and 38th Grand Slam championship match \u2014 both record-extending numbers \u2014 at this year\u2019s edition of the Melbourne major.<\/p>\n At the age of 38 years and 255 days, Djokovic became the oldest Australian Open finalist in history and the oldest Grand Slam finalist since a 39-year-old Ken Rosewall reached the 1974 US Open title match.<\/p>\n The Serbian delivered a remarkable display to defeat world No 2 Jannik Sinner in a thrilling five-set semi-final in Melbourne. He lost in four sets to Carlos Alcaraz in the final.<\/p>\n Djokovic, who is ranked third in the world, has won a record 24 Grand Slam titles and holds the record for the most weeks spent as world No 1 (428).<\/p>\n In an interview with The National<\/em>, Draper<\/a> described Djokovic as an example of \u201ctrue greatness\u201d and a \u201cproper inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing surprises me with Novak. I think, for me, he\u2019s the greatest tennis player of all time,\u201d said the former world No 4. \u201cHe is an example to everyone just of longevity and true greatness.<\/p>\n \u2018Resilient\u2019 Jack Draper sets sights on Alcaraz & Sinner, reveals his 2 target tournaments<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Why Stefanos Tsitsipas is at risk of big ATP Rankings drop after Dubai title defence<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI think whenever I watch him play, I\u2019m always inspired by the fact that in Australia, what\u2026 he won it, like 10 times? And he\u2019s out there in his 11th final there.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd for me and for many other players, he\u2019s a proper inspiration and someone that we all look up to and aspire to be like.\u201d<\/p>\n Draper made his long-awaited comeback from a bone stress injury in his left arm in Great Britain\u2019s Davis Cup win over Norway earlier this month, beating Viktor Durasovic 6-2, 6-2 in his only match.<\/p>\n The British star had not played since he was forced to withdraw ahead of his second round match at the US Open in August.<\/p>\n The 24-year-old, who is ranked 15th, is making his ATP Tour comeback at the Dubai Championships this week.<\/p>\n Asked if he is now pain-free, Draper said: \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to say at the moment. I\u2019m still at the very end of my process of that. But do I think that I\u2019m going to be good to play full out and play week after week? Absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n Draper added:\u00a0\u201cI think from a recovery point of view, my habits off the court maybe changed a little bit. Like I\u2019m trying to sleep more and recover better. I understand the value of my body a hell of a lot more.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I think just learning to maybe slow down a little bit as well and to know that you don\u2019t have to always be working ridiculously hard all the time. It\u2019s a marathon, not a sprint.\u201d<\/p>\n READ NEXT: ATP Dubai Championships Draw: Tsitsipas gets brutal opener as Draper, Auger-Aliassime, Medvedev learn fate<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The post Jack Draper hails \u2018proper inspiration\u2019 Novak Djokovic as he issues GOAT verdict<\/a> appeared first on Tennis365<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jack Draper has hailed Novak Djokovic as the greatest tennis player of all time as he shared his thoughts on the Serbian icon reaching the 2026 Australian Open final. Djokovic reached his 11th Australian Open final and 38th Grand Slam championship match \u2014 both record-extending numbers \u2014 at this year\u2019s edition of the Melbourne major. 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