Novak Djokovic causes split as Serbian walks away from Rafael Nadal in GOAT debate

Tennis fans are divided over whether Novak Djokovic should retire next year after his father advised him to do so. The 36-year-old Serbian is playing as well as ever and this year broke the record for most Grand Slam men's singles titles with 23. And thanks to his achievement, Djokovic has taken the lead in the GOAT debate.

Djokovic has had another triumphant season so far, including winning the first two Majors of the season. His victories saw him surpass Rafael Nadal as the most decorated man at Grand Slam level with a record 23 to his name while the Spaniard holds 22 trophies.

In the eyes of Express Sport readers, the world No. 2 is now indeed the greatest of all time ahead of Nadal and Roger Federer. But fans are divided when Djokovic is expected to end his illustrious career.

49% agreed with Djokovic's father, Srdjan, who recently shared his wish to see the 94-time title winner hang up his racquet in 2024. But 51% said the 36-year-old should keep playing for more than just one year.

This comes after Srdjan told the documentary Novak Djokovic - Untold Stories that his son had already lived up to all his expectations seven or eight years ago. He explained: "Tennis is just a segment of his life, not his whole life. I expect him to also be recognized for the things he will do after his career is over, after his departure from the world of tennis, which I hope will happen next year. And that Novak slowly but surely... it's not the end, but in a year and a half let's say."

The 62-year-old also admitted that his son probably should have stopped playing tennis by now. "My wish as a father - I've thought for some time that he should have stopped doing this extremely difficult job. It's physically and mentally difficult and very demanding - with him being fully dedicated for 30 years and not slowing down , there is not much time for other things in life,” he added.

Although Srdjan's comments have sparked debate among Express Sport readers, there is agreement to crown Djokovic as the greatest of all time. 46% said the Serb would be the GOAT in the end, and he eventually retired.

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That's more than double the number of votes Nadal received, with the Spaniard holding 22 major titles to his name - 14 of which came at Roland Garros in an achievement many believe will not be replicated. Only 21% thought the Spaniard would end his GOAT career.

And Federer - who retired last September with his rivals at his side at Lava...