Former World No. 6 Gael Monfils reflects on the GOAT debate between Federer and Djokovic

Gael Monfils is one of the tennis players with the most longevity on the tour. Having played against Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, the French star has been in the front row of some of the greatest tennis ever. So, who is the GOAT for Monfils?

The former World No. 6 has described Djokovic as a “GOAT” several times on X (formerly Twitter), notably in 2022, after the Serbian improved his record against him to 18-0. Following another defeat, Monfils posted: “Seriously, many people forget that it is a GOAT.” Most recently, he shared his thoughts on the debate with former basketball player Tony Parker.

“It’s like… for example, in tennis. For me, Roger Federer is my favorite player,” Parker said during a conversation posted on March 2. “But it’s clear that, statistically, Novak Djokovic is the best. That’s how I see it. For me, LeBron is like Novak, and Jordan is like Federer. Statistically, Jordan doesn’t dominate the way Novak does in tennis,” he explained.

To that, Monfils responded “Djokovic has won everything! He ended tennis!” To that, Parker replied: “You can’t argue with that. The people who say he’s not the best are those who simply don’t like him personally.” With Monfils, saying: “It’s subjective!”

Parker went on to explain: “And I love Roger, by the way! The elegance with which he played… Some people will prefer Rafa, and that’s fine. But when I’m asked who the best in tennis is, I say Djokovic.” To that statement, Monfils didn’t reply directly but seemed to agree with his gesture.

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He was world’s No.18, defeated Roger Federer 6-0 in a main tour tournament and went to the Olympics twice

Monfils’ longevity records in tennis

At 38 years old, Monfils is still playing some of the most creative tennis on tour. So, while the French star has never won a major title, he has broken some longevity records this year. For example, after winning the Auckland Classic in January, he became the oldest player to win an ATP Tour singles title at 38 years and 132 days. ​

Then, at the Australian Open, he became the oldest player to defeat a top-5 opponent at the Australian Open since the inception of the ATP rankings. And, after reaching the Round of 16 at the Miami Open, the second-oldest player to win multiple matches in a Masters 1000 event, after Ivo Karlovic (40 years old).