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Most numbers say, however, that he has already outgrown the Swiss. A look at the really idle discussion about the GOAT.
Rafael Nadal is not the type of person who looks over the garden fence for confirmation. Unlike Novak Djokovic, who has long made no secret of the fact that he almost desperately wants to surpass rivals Nadal and Federer in the number of Grand Slam titles, those light tones are rare in Spanish. After the triumph in Paris, Nadal explained his philosophy of life: “You can’t always be unhappy because your neighbor has the biggest house, the biggest boat or a better phone. You have to live your own life, right? “
In this sense, you can’t always worry about Novak having this tournament or Roger winning it. When asked about Federer’s quick congratulations on Twitter, Nadal even went so far as to say: “I think he’s kind of happy when I win and I’m happy when things are going well for him.” So does the 34-year-old from the island of Mallorca really care that he and Federer are now the tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles? “I have always said that I would love to end my career as the player with the most Grand Slam titles.” Nadal just doesn’t say it as loud as everyone else.
The numbers speak for Nadal
He would have every reason to do so. The discussion that has been going on for several years about who is the GOAT (the greatest of all time) is slowly turning in Nadal’s favor. It is increasingly difficult to find arguments for Federer, now that he is no longer on the throne over his favorite archrival in the most important criteria. Nadal is an Olympic champion in singles and doubles. He has won the most Masters 1000 tournaments (36:28) and leads in direct encounters with 24:16 wins. For Federer, on the other hand, the six Masters titles speak and especially the 310 weeks as world number 1, more than 100 weeks more than Nadal. And the 39-year-old Swiss, who wants to strike again in Australia in January after a nearly year-long hiatus for knee surgery, prevails on the “soft” criteria of influence, charisma and popularity.
Participation in Australia remains open
For a long time, the length of his career was a compelling argument for Federer. But Nadal now also holds a record that no one would have thought possible at the beginning of his career. There are more than 15 years between his first Grand Slam win at age 19 at the French Open in 2005 and the title on Sunday. Nadal initially left open how the trophy hunt would continue. The possibility of winning the only major title that is missing at the ATP Finals in London in November seems as great as it rarely has. The Spaniard has only played 26 games this year and he would be fresher than ever.
“I don’t know,” Nadal said evasively when asked about his participation in the Masters. “In this situation you have to make smart decisions.” Nadal was not at the US Open for fear of the corona virus, and also left open if he wanted to travel to the Australian Open in January given a 14-day quarantine. The prospect of isolation is dire for the downright familiar person who is nowhere more comfortable than on his small island of birth.
An endless discussion with no answer
But it has a great influence on how the fight for the GOAT continues. The last few months have been a setback for Novak Djokovic. Although he was the dominant player of the last decade, he is now three major titles behind Federer and Nadal. And when it comes to soft factors, it lags far behind its two most popular competitors globally. He could only overtake the two of them in naked numbers. It doesn’t change much that he should break Federer’s weeks record as No.1 next March, especially if his closest rival Nadal would give up more tournaments.
However, in the end, the GOAT discussion is idle anyway, and in the end, it’s probably not that important. It cannot be measured with records alone. Followers of each of the three fields will find arguments for their favorite. What is clear, however, is that Nadal’s shares have risen significantly.
