Exclusive – Fernando Gonzalez’s verdict who is the greatest out of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer

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Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer

Who is the greatest of all-time?

It is the debate that has been raging in tennis over the last decade and more, with former French Open semi-finalist Fernando Gonzalez telling Tennis365 that the final verdict may not come down to a straight numbers game.

Gonzalez played against and beat all-three of the game’s modern day greats on numerous occasions during his illustrious career that also included appearances in the quarter-finals in the Australian Open and US Open.

Now he has given us his view on who will go down in history as the greatest of them all.

“A few years ago, the idea that anyone could win 10 Grand Slams was incredible, but now we have three guys with 20 and it is just amazing,” Gonzalez told us at the Champions Tennis event in London.

“In terms of the numbers, I’m sure Novak is going to end up with the most Grand Slams and maybe the best statistics, but for me there are other factors when you decide who is the greatest.

“Novak is breaking all the records and it looks like he will continue to do that for a number of years.

“For me, you don’t just say this guy had most the titles so he is the best. You can pick who your favourite is for the way the three guys play, I prefer Roger. His one-handed backhand, serve and volley and his style is more classic.

Fernando Gonzalez
Fernando Gonzalez

“When you watch Novak he looks like he will never miss a ball and Rafa is running everywhere with pain all over his body, so it is tough to say who is the greatest.”

Gonzalez went on to pick out the players he will be watching out for in 2022, after what has been a ‘crazy’ few months amid the Covid pandemic.

“To be without competition for several months last year was tough and now this year, there has still be problems travelling,” he added.

“Hopefully we can go into next year and have a more normal tennis year because so many exciting things are happening in our sport.

“We are waiting to see if Roger can come back, what happens with Rafa and you see Daniil Medvedev winning his first major. Then I like (Andrey) Rublev and (Jannik) Sinner. They have so much talent and can be successful in the game for many years to come.”

Gonzalez is playing at the ATP Champions Tour event in London, where US Open champion Emma Raducanu will play an exhibition match on Sunday.

Novak Djokovic Rafael Nadal Roger Federer

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