"Clearly Novak is in the best position" - Nadal on 'GOAT Race'
ATP
Rafael Nadal discussed the Big Three following his 22nd Grand Slam win at the 2022 Roland Garros, and the Spanish player gave his thoughts on who might be crowned the greatest of all time.
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, ATP tennis has been dominated by Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Between them, the Big Three have won a combined 62 Grand Slam titles in men's singles, and the trio has battled for the number-one ranking in the ATP.
Ultimately, the three players have had illustrious careers at the top of the ATP for two decades, and even in the latter stages of their careers, the trio continues to perform.
Such impressive performances, like Nadal's win at the Roland Garros and Australian Open this year, have led to debates about which of the three players is the greatest of all time.
Following his French Open final victory over Casper Ruud, Nadal was asked about the topic. The 36-year-old gave an honest assessment of who might notch the most Grand Slam titles.
He backed the younger Djokovic (aged 35) to surpass his and Federer's achievements but also stated that he is certainly happy to keep competing at the top.
"Anything can happen. Clearly Novak is in the best position to be able to beat that because he has no physical problems, and he’s playing at a spectacular level."
"Federer has been out for a long time and you can always expect something special from him, but we all know how difficult it is to come back, even more so at 40. We’ll see what happens."
"As I’ve always said, it didn’t bother me when we were level, and it doesn’t bother me now that I’m two ahead. I just want to keep competing."
Having won two of the two majors in 2022 so far, Nadal still has a chance of winning the Calendar Grand Slam—where a player triumphs in all four majors during one season. No player has achieved this feat since Rod Laver in 1969, and it has only been done three times in men's tennis history.
Nadal spoke about his chances of completing the Grand Slam in 2022. However, the Spanish star admitted that he would just be happy to play in all four majors, let alone win all of them.
"Yes, it’s crazy, even if I was in perfect shape I think. Nobody has done it since Rod Laver. Djokovic came closest last year. More than winning the Grand Slam, I would be content to play in all four."
Latest Comments
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MrMustard18-12-2024 - All that is said , all that is done. Nick has 0 grand slams wins. Everything else is hot 🥵 air.MrMustard18-12-2024
- All that is said , all that isMrMustard18-12-2024
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Stella112-12-2024 - All players should be treated the same for taking banned substances, if your no 1 in the world or no 300 man or woman you should not be allowed to keep playing,,VPH108-12-2024
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