Novak Djokovic has ended the debate over who will end their tennis career with the most Grand Slam titles, but it has not entirely closed down the GOAT discussion.
With Rafael Nadal widely expected to call time on his professional career at the Laver Cup later this month, Djokovic looks set to finish his career with the most major titles in the history of the men’s game.
Djokovic’s 24th major title at last year’s US Open may well have been his last major, with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz stealing a march on the Serbian by sharing the Grand Slam titles in 2024.
Yet even though Djokovic is the leader in the Grand Slam count, the debate over who is the greatest player of all time is ongoing, with fans of Roger Federer and Nadal suggesting the greatest player of the golden era of the men’s game is not just the player with the most titles.
Now Toni Nadal, who was coach to his nephew Rafael for most of his decorated career, has given his verdict on the debate in an interview with EuroNews.
“Who played better? Federer,” said Toni. “Who is the best? Djokovic. Because Djokovic won more titles than the others.”
He then went on to add: “Who could be the best without injuries? My nephew. But he has injuries so at the end, the best is Djokovic.
So in my opinion, from what I have seen on court, when Federer plays, no one beats him.”
Nadal went on to compare Federer to football icon Lionel Messi, as he suggested hard work takes good athletes towards greatness.
You are born with a natural talent, but at the same time you need to work hard,” he added. “Only with natural talent, normally it is not enough.
“It is very difficult to achieve the goals that Federer achieves. Or to be Messi, it is almost impossible.
“You can be a very good tennis player or a very good football player when you are willing to work very hard.”
Djokovic fans have reacted with hostility to Toni’s suggestion that his nephew could have gone down in history as the most successful male player of all-time if it were not for his injury problems.
The final years of Nadal’s career have been dominated by his injury issues and that only became a factor for Djokovic in 2024, as he suffered a knee injury that derailed his French Open bid and hampered his Wimbledon challenge.
The imminent end of Nadal’s career looks set to end the debate over who will finish their career with the most Grand Slam and former British No 1 Tim Henman told Tennis365 that Djokovic has earned the right to go down in history as the greatest male player of all-time.
There are two different conversations to be had about the greatest player, the best player, that comes down to a numbers game and Djokovic will win that,” said Henman.
“If you are talking about impact and popularity, it is a one-horse race and there is no doubt that Federer is the most popular player that has ever played our sport.
“Overall, Djokovic is the best of all-time on the numbers, but many will still pick Federer because of what he contributed to the game on so many levels.”
This is a debate that will run and run, with Toni Nadal’s comments firing fresh life into a story that will always divide opinion.
