Rafael Nadal's name belongs in the pantheon of tennis greats, given what he has achieved in a long and illustrious career, and he was recently proclaimed as the greatest of them all.
Former Roland Garros tournament director Guy Forget was in awe of Nadal's latest triumph. Last week, he extended the record for the most Grand Slam titles in men's tennis by winning his 22nd major and 14th French Open crown.
Nadal won his first Roland Garros title in 2005 at the age of 19. It is 17 years apart from his astounding 14th. One of the hallmarks of being called the greatest in a craft is skillset, proficiency, and longevity. It's almost impossible to chalk up these numbers if you don't stay in the game for too long.
And Nadal, who has had a long list of injuries throughout his career, has played in every edition of the clay-court Grand Slam since his debut remains unrivaled in his success at the French Open. If he can still conjure yet more magic, Nadal could still rack up one or two more titles at his beloved tournament.
Recently, Forget made comparisons of other sporting legends in the past, and he believes Nadal eclipses them all, including football legend Pele, basketball GOAT Michael Jordan, and boxing icon Muhammad Ali.
The Frenchman opined that the French Open is the "toughest" tournament in the world and to do 14 times is almost unimaginable. What even makes Nadal's win this year extra special is that he was not operating close to full fitness after suffering a foot injury in the tuneup events and is reportedly out of Wimbledon.
"For me, Nadal has achieved the greatest feat in sports history. He is above Pelé, Jordan or Ali. French Open is the toughest tournament you have on the planet and he has won it 14 times."