Novak Djokovic snubbed as Taylor Fritz makes Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer claim
Novak Djokovic is increasingly regarded as the greatest player of all time (GOAT).
For years, Roger Federer held that moniker, with many believing his 20 majors would take some beating.
However, his great rival, Rafael Nadal, surpassed the Swiss in a matter of years, with the King of Clay chalking up 22 Grand Slams of his own.
And then, the last of the hallowed ‘Big Three’ overtook them all with 24 Grand Slams. Djokovic has truly outlasted them all.
While he may never be as popular as Federer and Nadal, his tennis CV cannot be denied. Moreover, he holds positive head-to-heads over both of them.
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Indeed, his record against Federer was 27-23 and with Nadal it was 31-29. The Nadal rivalry may have ended up being the most brutal and physical in history but to Taylor Fritz, it is not the most “competitive”.
No other rivalry in the Open Era has had more matches (60) than Djokovic vs Nadal, which is a long way ahead of the likes of Ivan Lendl vs John McEnroe (36) and Jimmy Connors vs Lendl (35) for instance.
But for the American, the allure of the Federer-Nadal rivalry takes some beating.
When asked if Nadal-Djokovic was the most competitive rivalry in tennis history, he told Wired, “I think Nadal-Federer is.
“But when you word it like ‘most competitive’… to be honest, I don’t know. If you look at the numbers and the stats, it might be.”
Due to the game getting increasingly professional, in addition to improving diets and sports science, players are having longer and longer careers.
At the turn of the century, it seemed as if your career was in its last throes when you reached 30. Now, however, tennis stars are playing well into the 30s.
Nadal retired at the age of 38, despite initial fears that he would have to hang up his racket due to injury early on in his career.
Federer bid farewell to the sport aged 41, while Djokovic is still competing for Grand Slams as he approaches 40.
That certainly allows fans to see more classic encounters but whether they had the best rivalry ever is up for debate.
