Djokovic vs Nadal – What those in the know are saying about GOAT race

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The debate of who is the greatest male tennis player is set to rumble on with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal evenly matched in Grand Slam titles. Djokovic won his 22nd Grand Slam title at last month’s Australian Open in straight sets and plenty of pundits and fans are keen to have their say on who is the greatest of the two legends. Djokovic’s opponent in that Australian Open final, Stefanos Tsitsipas, was in no doubt who was the GOAT in his mind however.

“I’ve had the privilege to play a lot of high intensity matches,” said Tsitsipas in his runner-up speech. “But he’s (Djokovic) one of the greatest in sport and the greatest who has ever held a tennis racket, for sure. It’s been an unbelievable journey for you, I admire what you’ve done for sport and you make me a better player, so thank you.”

With Nadal and Djokovic now level on 22 Grand Slam titles Austrian star Dominic Thiem believes that whoever ends their careers with the most Major titles will also be the GOAT. “In my opinion, the Grand Slam titles should be the defining criteria when determining the best of all time, they are the four most important tournaments in tennis,” Thiem told Eurosport.

“Everything else is fine, but it’s not the same. The Slams are what counts, so the GOAT will probably be the one with the most Grand Slams.”

Djokovic also got the nod in the GOAT race from an unlikely source, with Nadal’s uncle Toni confessing their rivalry was “complicated” but he conded it was difficult for his nephew to overtake the Serb as Djokovic is “fresher than him.”

However, British tennis star and three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray thinks that there should be more to the GOAT debate their Grand Slam titles.

He also added Roger Federer to the debate and considers that generations shouldn’t be compared. “In my opinion, all three of the best players are playing in this generation. You don’t have to compare the generations,” Murray said during an Instagram Live with Djokovic earlier in his career.

“I think people have simplified it. The easiest way for people to do it is just to go by the number of slam wins. But I do think when you compare other players’ careers, maybe there’s other numbers to look at, as well,” Murray said.

Plenty of pundits have also had their say on the GOAT race, with the debate dominating conversation in many TV studios.

Eurosport pundit and former Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander highlighted how injury records could play a part. He said: “Novak will be the last of the big three to keep playing because of his body. Ok, he’s got a little injury here, but he seems to be able to deal with the injuries that he gets. He looks so fresh and young.”

Speaking at last year’s Laver Cup, which marked the retirement of Federer, tennis legend and seven-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe says the GOAT debate could remain unsettled. “It should be measured by a combination of everything, as I think anyone in sport understands,” McEnroe told Eurosport.

“You can make an argument for any of these three legends on any of the different surfaces over the course of how many events they won, how many majors, how many other tournaments, how little they pulled out of events, how consistent they were.

“You can make an argument for all of them, and we’ll be talking about that for the next 10 years, which one is better. Maybe 20, maybe until the end of time, unless someone does something crazy and wins another five (Grand Slams), which I suppose is possible at this rate, but even then I still think we would [debate it].”

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