Over the past decade, the debate raging over who is the so-called greatest of all time, or ‘GOAT’, has become more heated than ever.
Swiss Maestro Roger Federer is widely regarded as the GOAT, with 17 grand slam titles to his name, the most ever held by a male player. Add to that his record 302 weeks as world No.1 – plus the 237 consecutive weeks he spent as tennis’s top player (another record) – and you’ve got a pretty convincing case.
However, then came the emergence of Rafael Nadal, the perceived antidote to the Federer game. Their head to head is heavily tipped in Nadal’s favour, at 23-11. He was the youngest ever male player to have won all four grand slams (24), and his extraordinary records on clay will never be matched. Considering the fact he’s a full five years younger than Federer and already has 14 grand slams to his name, there’s plenty of reason to argue the Spaniard is the proverbial GOAT.
But what of Novak Djokovic? There is no question in anyone’s minds he is the best player on the planet. His game is all but flawless; he combines power and finesse in equal measure, and his formidable two-handed backhand is one of the most feared groundstrokes in tennis. He’s finished world No.1 for four of the last five years, and recently won his eleventh grand slam at the 2016 Australian Open.
Not only that, his 2015 win-loss record was an astonishing 82-6, which included a record six Masters 1000 crowns and three grand slams.
His recent win at Indian Wells has tied him with Rafael Nadal for the most Masters won by a male player, at 27 titles. And the icing on the cake? He now has the record for highest winning percentage of all time, at 82.77 per cent. With no sign of any emerging players presenting a consistent challenge to his reign, there’s no telling how high he’ll fly.
The word heard most often when describing Djokovic’s game is ‘complete’, and rightfully so. Not only is his serve excellent, he is the best returner in the game’s history, and executes a uniquely effective pattern of play. One could also argue he’s the fittest athlete, not just tennis player, in the world. But what truly puts him so far ahead of the pack is his stoic, almost super-human self-belief and supreme confidence.
In short, he’s the closest thing to perfection tennis has at the moment. There’s really not a lot you can do against a player of that exquisite calibre.
Yet despite these glowing credentials, people are still reluctant to elevate him to the GOAT debate. Yes, he has won fewer slams than Federer and Nadal, but there’s every reason to believe he’ll catch up sooner rather than later.
He’s also arguably been the most consistent top player; he has not had the run of injuries suffered by Nadal, and has the advantage of youth against 34 year-old Federer. So why do so many rally against comparing him to the sensational Spaniard and magnificent Swiss?
Could it be nostalgia? After all, there is still a sort of bubbling resentment that Djokovic crashed the Federer-Nadal party. As the most popular rivalry in tennis history, fans were (and still are) somewhat reluctant to let a third icon into the fray. However, it is testament to the type of athlete, and indeed human being, that Djokovic is, that he attempted to infiltrate that stratum in the first place.
A lesser player would have accepted the brilliance of those two titans as untouchable, and resigned himself to float around the top tier, but never really crack the top two. Rather than relegate himself to the confines of a ‘top five player’, Novak Djokovic pushed his mind and body to the very limits in order to break the Federer-Nadal glass ceiling. He continues to propel himself to new heights. No small feat, considering the sublime style and extraordinary natural talent oozing from his two greatest rivals.
What happens over the next year or two remains to be seen. After all, Nadal and Federer are still chomping at the bit for the big titles, and it would be beyond foolish to write them off. Nadal’s excellent run at Indian Wells has likely put him on the resurgent track, and Federer remains, as always, seemingly indestructible.
Also, Djokovic is due for a lull at some point, and the next generation of players are getting stronger by the day.
However, the Serbian’s level of commitment, talent, and ever-increasing haul of trophies have him fast climbing the ranks of those considered tennis ‘legends’. If his run of dominance continues over the next couple of years, he could very well eclipse the lot.
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