Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic dominated tennis for several decades, sweeping up over 60 Grand Slam titles.
Swiss star Federer was the first of the trio to pick up a Major title when he won Wimbledon in 2003.
Nadal joined him two years later, when he beat Mariano Puerta to take home the first of his 14 titles at the French Open.
Djokovic finally won his first Grand Slam in 2008, taking down Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Australian Open final.
All three players went on to win 20 or more Major titles and remain the only players in the history of the ATP Tour to have done so.
The debate rages on as to which of the three was the greatest, although one tennis legend claimed the statistics point to one player when he shared his thoughts two years ago.
Andy Roddick said it’s ‘hard to make an argument against Novak Djokovic’ as the Greatest Of All Time
Speaking in 2023, former world number one Andy Roddick weighed in on the ever-engaging G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) debate.
“There’s two GOAT arguments right, there’s one based on stats and there’s one based on feelings,” he said.
“With Novak [Djokovic], if you just put his numbers side by side, Slam totals, head-to-head record against most people on earth. He has a positive head-to-head record against his two biggest rivals, has won the most Masters 1000s, and he’s adding weeks to the all-time number one list.
“It’s actually hard to make a statistical argument against Novak having the best resume ever at this point.
“Then the conversation, eventually when someone’s countering that, comes into stylistically, I like this person, and this person carries themselves a certain way.
“I tend to lean into the numbers a little bit more.”
The numbers certainly paint Djokovic in a positive light, although, as Roddick mentioned, there is more to tennis than just winning and losing.
Federer dominated tennis during the 2000s thanks to his ‘elegant’ style of play, which many praised him for over the years.
The 43-year-old’s game was particularly suited to the grass courts of Wimbledon, where he produced some stunning tennis across his 21 visits to the tournament.
Nadal, on the other hand, was dominant on the clay and is widely regarded as the greatest player to ever step foot on the surface.
The so-called ‘eye test’ is, of course, subjective, which lends many, and Roddick, to look to the numbers to make their pick.
Do the numbers really prove Novak Djokovic is the Greatest Of All Time?
Roddick named four categories: Grand Slam count, head-to-head records, Masters 1000 titles, and weeks at number one, that he claimed supported the argument of Djokovic being the greatest men’s tennis player of all time.
But do the statistics really prove Djokovic to have exceeded both Federer and Nadal in the above areas?
Grand Slam count
- Novak Djokovic – 24
- Rafael Nadal – 22
- Roger Federer – 20
Djokovic’s 24 Grand Slam titles see him way out in front, ahead of Nadal on 22 and Federer on 20.
The Serb trailed the Spaniard ahead of the 2023 season, before Djokovic won three of the year’s four Majors to take his place at number one.
Head-to-head record
- Novak Djokovic 31-29 Rafael Nadal
- Novak Djokovic 27-23 Roger Federer
Djokovic narrowly edged the head-to-head against his two main rivals, competing against Federer and Nadal on the sport’s biggest stages.
Masters 1000 titles
- Novak Djokovic – 40
- Rafael Nadal – 36
- Roger Federer – 28
Djokovic leads Nadal by four Masters 1000 titles, having dominated at the level throughout his career.
Djokovic is the only player in tennis history to have won all nine Masters 1000 events (Career Golden Masters), and has done so twice, completing his first in 2018 and his second in 2020.
Weeks at world number one
- Novak Djokovic – 428
- Roger Federer – 310
- Rafael Nadal – 209
The Serb has spent an astonishing 428 weeks ranked number one in the world during his time on tour.
Federer’s 310 weeks at the top looked insurmountable not long ago, but anyone looking to chase down Djokovic will now have a mountain to climb.
Fans are of course free to pick whoever they choose as the G.O.A.T. but it certainly does seem as if the numbers point towards Djokovic.
Djokovic is set to return to action at the French Open on Sunday, May 25, as he searches for a record-extending 25th Major title.
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