Rafael Nadal has snubbed long-term friend and rival Roger Federer in the debate over who is the greatest player in the history of the sport. The Spaniard, who due to injury problems has not played in a Grand Slam event since the 2023 Australian Open, believes statistics alone point towards Novak Djokovic meriting that title.
Nadal, 37, previously held the mantra for the most Slam wins when he won both the Australian and French Open titles in 2022, taking his tally to 22. But that number has since been surpassed by Djokovic, who is on 24 and was only denied a Calendar Slam last year by losing to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon.
Many fans and pundits still perceive Roger Federer to be the greatest though. The Swiss maestro retired following the Laver Cup in September 2022, having won 20 Grand Slam titles, with his final two years on the tour plagued by knee problems.
And now Nadal has had his say on the argument that continues to divide opinion. In an interview with El Objective de La Sexta, he was asked if Djokovic’s achievements now made him the best ever: “The numbers say yes, for me yes,” he replied.
For all his on-court brilliance Djokovic, 36, has regularly courted controversy in his colourful career. His refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19 prompted an explosive saga down under which eventually saw him deported from the country before the 2022 Australian Open, and he was once disqualified from the US Open for accidentally hitting a ball at a line-judge.
Indeed, the Serbian’s infamous temper has frequently been apparent during games, most noticeably at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics when he threw and smashed his racquet in his bronze-medal match defeat to Pablo Carreno Busta. But Nadal also argued that the reputation attributed to the world No.1 was misleading.
“The image he projects is worse than he really is; I think he’s a good person,” he added. “There are moments of frustration. Novak breaks his racquet, but the next point he is ready to play at 100% again and it is the best I have ever seen.”
One of Nadal’s compatriots has been tipped to one day challenge that notion though, with Alcaraz already having two Slam titles to his name despite being just 20. And Nadal envisaged further success for the reigning SW19 champion, only the third Spanish male to win the title after Nadal and Manuel Santana.
“Carlos has an incredible level of tennis, he is a super complete player in every sense,” said Nadal. “I don’t see weaknesses in him like the ones I had at his age. He has all the ingredients to have an incredible career.”
