Federer, Nadal, Djokovic - Who Is The Greatest?

Novak Djokovic – Rafael Nadal – Roger Federer – Who deserves the title of “The Greatest Ever”?

Image Credit: The Week UK

By Lee Clow

_ Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are arguably tennis’s finest players ever, especially over the last 10-15 years. Their level of ability, consistency and success makes them stand out from the rest. We are incredibly lucky to have all 3 of them compete at the same level for so many years. But who is the greatest? I will briefly analyse each player before giving my verdict on who I believe is “The Greatest Tennis Player Of All Time”.

• Roger Federer:

To many, Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player of all time. The Swiss has won 20 major Grand Slam titles - the most in history - and is ultimately the king of grass court tennis, especially Wimbledon. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world rankings. What amazes me about Federer is his longevity and consistency. Federer has proved age is nothing but a number and that you can perform at highest level even in the later stages of your career. Some of the shots, this man has played is out of this world and won’t be replicated again anytime soon. The classic encounters between him and rivals Nadal and Djokovic will forever be remembered by fans and the legacy Federer will leave will be massive for tennis as a sport. A top-class professional on and off the court, who is without a doubt a living legend.

• Rafael Nadal:

Just like Federer, Rafa Nadal is a living legend and a major icon in tennis. He is the current world number one and is deserved of the title due to his amazing success throughout his career. He is the understated king of clay court tennis, specifically The French Open having won 12 titles, 4 more than any other. The Spaniard again like Federer has proved age is nothing but a number having performed consistently throughout his career. To me the way Nadal plays the game is extraordinary with his aggression and technique coming through. I also love the passion he shows in every single game no matter what the situation. The rivalry’s he has created in his career, especially with Federer, has been fascinating to watch and will always be remembered by all. Nadal’s legacy will live on in tennis and he will always be regarded as one of the best ever.

• Novak Djokovic:

From the 2000s it was always about the 2 main players, in Federer and Nadal, but when the new decade began a new man was thrown into the mix; Novak Djokovic. The Serbian is currently ranked number 2 in the world and is the current holder of the Australian Open and Wimbledon. He has won 16 major titles and become the eighth player in history to achieve a career Grand Slam. I feel Djokovic has transformed modern tennis and is the main role model for all young aspiring tennis players. One of Djokovic’s qualities that I find he is the best in the world at is his returns. Despite not always been a fan favourite like Federer or Nadal, Djokovic has always used his critics to improve and this is a big reason to why he has become so successful. Djokovic will go down as one of tennis’s best and he’ll always be remembered.

Conclusion:

It’s a tricky one because all three players are deserved of the title “the greatest ever” as they have won everything. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have shaped the modern era of tennis and they will go down in the history books as true icons of the sport. But there can only be one winner and that has to be Roger Federer. The reason I have chosen the Swiss is because of his longevity at the highest level. Federer, currently 38, has consistently performed over his career and appears to get better as he gets older. Not only his performance but his record 20 Grand Slam titles speak for themselves. Federer is quite extraordinary, and I don’t think we’ll see anyone come quite as near as him for a very long time. We are truly blessed.