"I don't care who ends up with the most, they are the 3 best of all time" - Wilander's take on GOAT race

| by Drew Tate

Everybody in tennis is so consumed with the GOAT race between Djokovic, Nadal and Federer simply because it's so captivating.

There are not many sports where the best of all time is clearly not definable as in tennis as most of them have either one or two at the top. Tennis has three and either could be considered the best with most fans choosing based upon sentimental attachment. Wilander has been one to keenly follow the race and while once he thought the sheer number mattered most, now he has a different view:

"Well, I mean, on paper it means Federer at 20, Novak on 21 and Rafa at 22 and I would have said a couple of years ago numbers were very important but it seems like the last couple of years, we have to start talking about momentum in their careers."

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He continued:

"And after Novak won three of the four Slams last year and had a chance to win the Calendar Grand Slam and go to 21 Grand Slam victories, didn't lose to Medvedev, then Rafa against all odds wins the Australian Open goes to 21. After that, of course, he's going to win the French Open, and go to 22. So I think there is momentum."

Wilander further continued:

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"The question here is for Novak, is he allowed to go and play the US Open because of the vaccination status that's very important. Should this really matter in the end, who wins the GOAT race? Who is the greatest of all time? All three have had their three or four years when they have dominated. Now they're going back and forth with Rafa and Novak so we were just so privileged to be a part of it."

To me personally, I don't care who ends up with the most Slams. We are going to define these as the best three tennis players on the men's side of the sport.

Wilander on the GOAT race
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