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Some have found Novak Djokovic hard to love and many have delighted in his rare defeats, but all should now accept a reality that is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore – he may just be the greatest sportsman of all-time.
As 37-year-old Djokovic rolled back the years and overcame a hamstring problem to comprehensively beat 21-year-old French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in a sensational Australian Open quarter-final, the Serbian added another magical entry to his glittering legacy.
He became the most successful male tennis player of all-time long ago and holds all the key records in the sport despite living through its most glorious era alongside his great rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Yet occasions such as his 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 wins against a rival who is not far off half his age add layers to a Djokovic story that does not look like ending anytime soon.
The Serbian king openly questioned whether he had the motivation to continue to push for more glory for most of 2024 and headed to Australia wondering whether this would be the last time he competes at a Grand Slam he has already won ten times.
With his seeding slipping for No 7 for this event, he always had a chance to meet either Alcaraz or world No 1 Jannik Sinner at the quarter-finals and most expected that would be the last we would see of Djokovic in Melbourne.
Yet you write off the ultimate icons of sport at your peril and on a night when Alcaraz served up some of his best tennis, the grand old champion stood up to him and battered down the young Spanish pup.
Alcaraz will come again and he will complete a career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open sooner rather than later, but this was a night when Djokovic confirmed his genius is enduring, as he added another entry into his column in the debate over the greatest of all-time in any sport.
You can look at Usain Bolt in athletics, Michael Jordan in basketball, Tiger Woods in golf and Lionel Messi in football, maybe Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1 and Muhammad Ali in boxing, but none have the level of flawless achievements that can match Djokovic over such an extended timespan.
Aside from his memorable win against Alcaraz in the three-set gold medal match at the Olympic Games last in Paris last year, it felt as if Alcaraz and Sinner were now a step ahead of Djokovic in the best-of-set format at a Grand Slam.
