As long as they go, I will go: Djokovic on Federer, Nadal

World No.1 Novak Djokovic has set his eyes on eclipsing the 20 Grand Slam titles tally held by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer and also the overall singles records held by Serena Williams and Margaret Court.

While Nadal and Federer holds the record for most Grand Slam titles in men’s singles, Margaret holds the record for most titles in women’s singles with 24 and Serena trails the Australia legend by one Slam win.

“Roger and Rafa inspire me. That’s something that I’ve said before. I’ll say it again. I mean, I think as long as they go, I’ll go,” Djokovic said after beating Russia’s Daniil Medvedev to win a record-extending ninth Australian Open title on Sunday.

“In a way, it’s like a race (of) who plays tennis more, I guess, and who wins more. It’s a competition between us in all areas. But I think that’s the very reason why we are who we are, because we do drive each other, we motivate each other, we push each other to the limit,” he said.

When asked about his goals for the year, Djokovic said: “Getting closer to maybe Roger’s, Rafa’s record, Serena, Margaret.”

The Australian Open win will ensure that Djokovic will surpass Federer’s record of most weeks spent at No.1 — 310.

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have dominated men’s singles tennis, particularly the Grand Slams, for nearly two decades.

From the 2003 Wimbledon to the 2021 Australian Open, the three players have won 58 out of 70 Grand Slams. They won 18 consecutive slams from the 2005 French Open to Wimbledon in 2009, and 13 consecutive slams from the 2017 Australian Open to the 2020 Australian Open.