Since his 13th title at Roland-Garros, Rafael Nadal has found himself at the center of the debates on the best tennis player of all time. The fight is inevitably tough with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Since October 11, the question has come up regularly in the media. Indeed, that day, the Spaniard Rafael Nadal, now 34 years old, won his 13th Roland-Garros, bringing at the same time, to 20 (1 Australian Open, 13 Roland-Garros, 2 Wimbledon, 4 US Open) his total Grand Slam titles. Twenty (6 Australian Open, 1 Roland Garros, 8 Wimbledon, 5 US Open), this is also the record of Swiss Roger Federer (39 years old), at this level. Finally, for the moment, the counter of Serbian Novak Djokovic (33), the current world number one, remains stuck at 17 (8 Australian Open, 1 Roland Garros, 5 Wimbledon, 3 US Open). Thus, in the program “Match Points” of Tennis Majors, therefore arose the question of knowing, initially, if Nadal, after this new Grand Slam title, could currently be considered as the greatest player in history.
Bartoli: “We can’t put one in front of the other”
According to Ben Rothenberg, journalist at New York Times, the answer is clear: “In short: no. So far, there is no best player of all time who stands out. We still have three active players. It’s hard to decide between them at this stage. If you only count the Grand Slams, and I don’t think that’s relevant, then Nadal has a good No. 1 header, because he’s 20-20 with Federer and he’s leading in their confrontations. Other figures point in this direction. “According to Marion Bartoli, former professional tennis player and winner in particular of Wimbledon in 2013, it is difficult to place one of the three above the others:” These three players have their own qualities. And they are above the fray. Rafa on earth, Roger on grass, Djokovic in Australia. We can’t put one in front of the other, just because Rafa won 13 Roland Garros, which is beyond fantastic. We can’t put it in front of the other two, just for that. Let’s wait and see what they can still do because I think that Nadal’s 13th Roland Garros will push Federer and Djokovic to do even better to catch up with him. Let’s wait and see what happens. When these three players are, unfortunately, retired, we can debate. “
Cambers: “No one will ever win 13 titles from the same Grand Slam”
Finally, for Simon Cambers, co-president of the ITWA (international association of tennis journalists), it is generally far too early to give a definitive opinion on the question: “All the choices are easily justified. It’s a matter of personal preference. I would love to see them go to 21 or 22 titles. and that at that point, we talk about everything else, about what makes us the greatest player in history. No one will ever win 13 titles from a single Grand Slam, except Rafa next year, when he wins his 14th Roland-Garros. Let us wait for their retirement to analyze everything at a rested head. They have their specificities. If my life depended on it, I would trust Nadal, but I would put Federer on grass or Djokovic at the Australian Open. “
