Former World No.1 Gustavo Kuerten has not included Novak Djokovic when listing the best tennis players of all time.
The Serbian icon has won a men’s record 24 Grand Slams, which includes a stunning haul of ten Australian Open titles and seven Wimbledon championships. However, three-time French Open champion Kuerten couldn’t make space for the 37-year-old when listing his favourite players in the game’s history.
Between 2000 and 2001, Kuerten, better known as ‘Guga’, led the ATP Rankings after he had clinched the top title at Roland Garros in 1997, 2000, and 2001. The 48-year-old retired in May 2008 and he has now compiled his personal list which includes past and present legends.
Those lucky enough to be selected by Kuerten include Swedish icon Björn Borg, American heroes John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, while Swiss legend Roger Federer also makes the cut. However, Kuerten also included Spanish star Rafael Nadal to make it a top six, yet he still could not find a spot for current Olympic champion Djokovic.
For many, the Serbian is considered the greatest tennis player of all time, even ahead of legendary figures like Federer and Nadal. However, Kuerten had no qualms about excluding him from his six of the best and claimed part of his decision comes down to players he idolised while growing up in Brazil.
“Why? Because of my origins,” he said when asked for his reasoning. “My brother with a poster of Borg and me with a poster of McEnroe. I can speak today and people will listen to me thanks to these two players.”
He also stated that the rationale for some of his choices came down to the fact that some players represented more than just skill on the court. He added: “Sampras was from another galaxy. Agassi was a more provocative type who went beyond tennis and reached people.”
Sampras won seven Wimbledon titles in a storied career that saw him pick up 14 majors. Agassi, meanwhile, scored four Australian Open victories as well as major wins at Wimbledon, the US and French Open.
Kuerten’s other picks, such as McEnroe, won nine Grand Slam titles in his career. The American won 77 career titles overall and held the position of World No.1 in 1980.
Guga’s other choice, Bjorg, now 68, won eleven Grand Slams including six French Open titles and a stunning five consecutive titles at Wimbledon. Kuerten’s reasoning for including Federer could simply be based on the Swiss icon’s 20 Grand Slam achievements which included a record eight wins at Wimbledon.
Federer’s great rival and friend, Nadal, who sneaked in at sixth place, won 22 Grand Slams and claimed the French Open title an incredible 14 times. However, plenty of fans will find it baffling that Djokovic did not feature on Kuerten’s prestigious list at all.