Rafael Nadal praised Novak Djokovic in a recent interview, calling him the best in history because, according to him, "the numbers don't lie."
Nadal has always had a pretty interesting relationship with the GOAT question. He often downplayed his interest in it, not acknowledging that he'd like to be considered the best.
It's quite different from Djokovic, who openly admits to not only wanting it but specifically chasing records to get it done. Does Nadal want all that? He likely does as he's been dedicated to the sport and underwent multiple surgeries to keep himself competitive.
Still, his approach is more gentleman-like and humble, which is how Nadal portrays himself in the public eye. He did pay Djokovic quite a bit of respect in a recent interview with LaSexta.
"The image he projects is worse than what he really is. He is a good person, with his mistakes... but much better than what he looks like. When I see someone so successful, I don't like getting angry."
"Novak breaks the racket but at the next point he is one hundred percent, that's why he is the one who has achieved the most in the history of our sport."
It's quite an interesting comment by Nadal, who generally doesn't talk about this topic too much. He's right, though, as numbers don't lie. By now, Djokovic holds so many tennis records and looks almost destined to end up as the greatest tennis player of all time that arguing against it makes no sense.
"The numbers don't lie, I would say he is the best in history. He has had a better body than mine and that also counts."
Still, it will always remain quite a subjective topic unless Djokovic further advances his legacy to a point where no one can't make any sort of argument against him. He's close to that, but there are still some records he can break.
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