Alexander Zverev picks out tennis GOAT from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Tennis grand slams: Who is the greatest of all time?

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Alexander Zverev has delivered his verdict on Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Rodger Federer regarding which of the famed tennis trio deserves the coveted ‘Greatest Of All Time’ title. All three superstars are currently tied at the top of the all-time Grand Slam standings with 20 majors apiece. 

Zverev has had a superb year himself, winning his first ever Grand Slam at Wimbledon and reaching the French Open semi-finals. 

That has left him as the current world No 3, comfortably ahead of Nadal and Federer, while Djokovic remains at the top of the tree. 

But with the Spaniard and the Swiss racking up a combined age of 75, Zverev may not have always fared so well against the sport’s big guns. 

And in a recent interview with Eurosport, the 24-year-old made his choice on one of the most divisive topics in tennis. 

“The fact that three players have won 20 Grand Slams each is unbelievable and will never be equalled again,” he said.

“They have played against each other for the last 15 years.

“They didn’t win many Grand Slams because the other one won them. Numbers just don’t lie.

“As a tennis player, the number of weeks at number one is very important. Novak is simply way ahead there.

“If all three of them stopped playing tennis today, I would see Novak at number one as well.

“Federer and Nadal have always been the crowd’s favourites and also the media’s favourites, which Novak never was.

“That’s just the way it is, but at some point you can’t ignore all the records any more. He has won as many Grand Slams as Federer and Nadal. He has more Masters titles.

“He has more weeks as No.1 in the world. He just has more of everything – he wins in every single category.

“You can’t ignore these numbers and records.

“They play together in the same era, so for me it’s just clear that you say: purely from a sporting point of view and in terms of successes, Novak is simply further ahead.”

With the Australian Open next up in January, Federer has already ruled himself out with a likely return earmarked for mid-2022. 

Nadal’s place at the tournament has also been thrust into doubt having recently contracted Covid, while Djokovic will aim to prove Zverev’s backing by taking the lead at the top with another Grand Slam victory provided he is able to take part in Melbourne with his vaccination status unclear. 

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