Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are all competing for having the most slams titles under their belt. Many think that the player who will win most slams in his or her career will be the so-called GOAT (Greatest Of ll Time). However, is this correct?
As of now, many say that Roger Federer is the GOAT (men’s tennis) since he has won 20 slams and no one has managed to achieve the same feat in men’s tennis, at least for now. To date, Nadal has won 19 slams and Djokovic 17. On Sunday, Nadal will play his 13th French Open final against Djokovic and the Spaniard is the hot favorite to conquer his 20th major so as to match Roger’s record. Does it mean the Mallorcan will be the “co-GOAT” with Federer?
There can be no GOATs
The GOAT definition seems to be completely faulty. For example, it sounds silly tho give the GOAT status to a player if he or she has won just 1 slam more than the rivals. Let’s say that Federer will end up with one slam more than Nadal. Does it mean that he is the GOAT because he recovered from a 1-3 deficit in the 2017 Australian Open against Rafa? Or let’s say that Djokovic will end up with 1 slam more than Roger. Does it mean that Novak is the GOAT because Federer couldn’t convert those 2 famous championship points against Novak when playing the final in Wimbledon in 2019?
Also, it is totally impossible to compare players of different eras. The legendary Rod Laver has won 2 calendar slams, but 3 of them (the Australian Open, US Open, and Wimbledon) were played on grass.
Is Federer the GOAT?
What if Roger Federer had the same luxury as Rod Laver to play 3 slams on grass and Rafael Nadal was not around? Probably Roger would have won 4 calendar slams when he was in his prime. Also, it’s difficult to say that Federer is the GOAT since he has a losing H2H record against his 2 top rivals Nadal and Djokovic. In addition, Roger hasn’t won as many Master ATP1000 as his 2 rivals. Aren’t these tournaments important? Nevertheless, it’s impossible not to notice that Federer is probably the most loved tennis player in history. Does this count in the GOAT debate?
Is Nadal the GOAT?
Let’s say that Nadal will end his career with more slams than Federer and Djokovic. Will he be the GOAT? Not sure about that since it’s pretty clear that Rafa’s incredible slam tally heavily depends on his clay-court greatness. So, does it mean that Nadal’s tennis is not as “complete” as the one of his top rivals? However, Rafa’s grit and capacity to overcome an incredible amount of injuries with his legendary dedication have to be taken into consideration in the GOAT debate. Right?
Is Djokovic the GOAT?
Novak has a winning record against Federer and Nadal. So, if he ends his career with more slams and ATP1000 than his main 2 rivals, he might claim the GOAT status. However, his positive record against Federer may be heavily influenced by the simple fact that Federer is 6 years older. Also, unfortunately (and unfairly?), Novak has never managed to have the same following as his 2 rivals. Is this something to take into account when “choosing the GOAT?”
What about Serena Williams holding the GOAT status?
Serena seems to lose her sleep in her quest to chase Margaret Court’s record of 24 slam titles (singles). The American sensation has 23 majors under her belt. However, it’s impossible to compare Serena and Margaret’s era. In fact, when the Australian was playing, there was much less competition and her slams were mostly “regional events.”
Therefore, is Serena the GOAT? Not sure about that because she has never won a calendar year slam like Steffi Graff. In addition, people tend to forget about the great Martina Navratilova that has won 59 majors in all disciplines while Serena has 39 slams in total.
Nadal the GOAT on clay, Esther Vergeer on wheelchair
It seems more and more impossible to choose a GOAT in tennis. An athlete may be the GOAT in his or her discipline if the results obtained are overwhelmingly superior to the ones achieved by the rivals. For example, it’s impossible not to say the Rafael Nadal is the GOAT of clay courts as well it’s pretty clear that Esther Vergeer is the GOAT of wheelchair tennis with 21 slams in singles and 27 in doubles, 4 Olympic gold medals, and 14 masters. She also ended her career with a winning streak of 470 matches.
Probably the GOAT debate will never be solved.
Nadal at the French Open, ranking, and results in 2020
Currently the world no.2, the Spaniard has a 21-4 win-loss record in 2020. Rafael is playing at the French Open where he ousted Egor Gerasimov 6-4 6-4 6-2, Mackenzie Mcdonald 6-1 6-0 6-3, Stefano Travaglia 6-1 6-4 6-0, Sebastian Korda 6-1 6-1 6-2, Jannik Sinner 7-64 6-4 6-1 and Diego Sebastian Schwartzman 6-3 6-3 7-60.
Rafael Nadal will face Djokovic in the final. The head to head is 29-26 for Djokovic.
The Spaniard conquered 1 title in 2020 in Acapulco.
The Spaniard won 85 titles in his career: 21 on hard courts, 59 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 4 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Djokovic at the French Open, ranking, and results in 2020
Ranked no.1, Djokovic has a 37-1 win-loss record in 2020. The Serbian is currently competing at the French Open where he defeated Mikael Ymer 6-0 6-2 6-3, Richard Berankis 6-1 6-2 6-2, Daniel Elahi Galan 6-0 6-3 6-2, Karen Khachanov 6-4 6-3 6-3, Pablo Carreno-Busta 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-4 and Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-2 5-7 4-6 6-1.
Novak Djokovic will square off with Nadal in the final. The head to head is 29-26 for Djokovic.
The Serbian clinched 4 titles in 2020 at the Australian Open, in Dubai, in New York and in Rome.
Novak won 82 titles in his career: 48 on hard courts, 15 on clay courts, 13 on indoor courts and 6 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played each other 55 times. The head to head is 29-26 for Djokovic. The last time that they played, Novak Djokovic won 6-2 7-64 in the final in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney (ATP Cup) on the 12th of January 2020.
Roger Federer in 2020
Currently the world no.4, Federer played his last match on the 30th of January when he lost to Novak Djokovic 7-61 6-4 6-3 in the semifinal of the Australian Open.
Roger Federer’s best result of the current season was reaching the semi-finals at the Australian Open.
