Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were already well on their way to legendary status by 2012.
The Swiss star had won 16 Grand Slams, while his rival Nadal had already won 10.
They were, however, starting to contend with the third member of the big three, Novak Djokovic.
It was Djokovic who won the first Grand Slam of 2012, at the Australian Open, taking his major tally to five.
Speaking before the French Open began, Australian legend Rod Laver predicted how many more Grand Slams Federer and Nadal would win before the end of their careers.
Rod Laver thought Roger Federer would win one more Grand Slam after 2012
During a 2012 Q&A on the ATP Tour YouTube channel, Laver was asked if he thought Nadal could match Federer’s Grand Slam record (16).
“I think [Rafael] Nadal can certainly continue on winning Grand Slams,” he said.
“Roger’s maybe got one more Grand Slam left in him. With his ability, he’s only 30 or 31.
“Nadal certainly is capable of winning a couple more French, and he likes Wimbledon, so why can’t he win three or four more?”
Laver then commented on the G.O.A.T. debate and gave his verdict on the ‘big three’ era.
“I don’t think anybody owns the title of best ever,” he said.
Who is the greatest male tennis player of all time?
“But the best of your era… Federer came along eight-10 years before Nadal, so Nadal is probably going to go into another era with the likes of [Novak] Djokovic and [Andy] Murray.
“So I’d say Nadal is certainly a world champion, and a great, great champion.”
How many Grand Slams did Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal win after Rod Laver made his prediction?
Laver only backed Federer to win one more Grand Slam after the 2012 Australian Open.
Proving Laver wrong, the Swiss star added four more major titles to his collection before retiring in 2022.
Roger Federer’s Grand Slam final record post-2012 Australian Open
| Grand Slam final | Winner | Loser | Score | Roger Federer’s Grand Slam tally |
| 2012 Wimbledon | Roger Federer | Andy Murray | 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 | 17 |
| 2014 Wimbledon | Novak Djokovic | Roger Federer | 7-6, 4-6, 6-7, 7-5, 4-6 | 17 |
| 2015 Wimbledon | Novak Djokovic | Roger Federer | 6-7, 7-6, 4-6, 3-6 | 17 |
| 2015 US Open | Novak Djokovic | Roger Federer | 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 4-6 | 17 |
| 2017 Australian Open | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 | 18 |
| 2017 Wimbledon | Roger Federer | Marin Cilic | 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 | 19 |
| 2018 Australian Open | Roger Federer | Marin Cilic | 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 | 20 |
| 2019 Wimbledon | Novak Djokovic | Roger Federer | 6-7, 6-1, 6-7, 6-4, 12-13 | 20 |
When predicting Nadal’s future major success, Laver suggested he would win three or four more.
If his Federer prediction was poor, his Nadal prediction was dreadful, as the Spaniard won another 12 Grand Slams before retiring.
Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam final record post-2012 Australian Open
| Grand Slam final | Winner | Loser | Score | Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam tally |
| 2012 French Open | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 | 11 |
| 2013 French Open | Rafael Nadal | David Ferrer | 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 | 12 |
| 2013 US Open | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 | 13 |
| 2014 Australian Open | Stan Wawrinka | Rafael Nadal | 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6 | 13 |
| 2014 French Open | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 | 14 |
| 2017 Australian Open | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | 4-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, 3-6 | 14 |
| 2017 French Open | Rafael Nadal | Stan Wawrinka | 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 | 15 |
| 2017 US Open | Rafael Nadal | Kevin Anderson | 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 | 16 |
| 2018 French Open | Rafael Nadal | Dominic Thiem | 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 | 17 |
| 2019 Australian Open | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | 3-6, 2-6, 3-6 | 17 |
| 2019 French Open | Rafael Nadal | Dominic Thiem | 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 | 18 |
| 2019 US Open | Rafael Nadal | Daniil Medvedev | 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 | 19 |
| 2020 French Open | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 | 20 |
| 2022 Australian Open | Rafael Nadal | Daniil Medvedev | 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 | 21 |
| 2022 French Open | Rafael Nadal | Casper Ruud | 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 | 22 |
There’s even an argument to suggest that Nadal would’ve won more had he not struggled with injuries.
During his best years, Nadal missed 11 major tournaments through injury.
Had he won just two of them, he would have tied Djokovic’s record of 24 Grand Slams and may well be considered the G.O.A.T. ahead of the Serb.
Would Rafael Nadal be the undisputed GOAT if not for injuries?
The reality is that Federer and Nadal will be remembered as two of the greatest tennis players of all time, as will Laver, for that matter.
Even if his predicting skills leave a lot to be desired…
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