‘Rafael Nadal would have won more than Novak Djokovic without his injuries’
Toni Nadal has argued Rafael Nadal would have won more than Novak Djokovic if he had not missed so many tournaments due to injury.
The renowned coach also claimed Roger Federer has “transcended” the sport more than both Djokovic and Nadal, while arguing the Swiss “managed to play at a better level.”
Djokovic overtook Nadal to win a men’s record 23rd Grand Slam title by defeating Casper Ruud to claim his third French Open title last month.
Nadal won the last of his 22 majors at Roland Garros last year and has not competed since the Australian Open in January due to a hip injury.
The 37-year-old has dealt with various physical issues throughout his career, with his latest absence likely to be his longest spell on the sidelines.
Toni Nadal, who coached the Mallorcan from his childhood until 2017, discussed the greatness of the legendary trio.
“I think Federer and Nadal have transcended their sport more than Djokovic. And Federer has transcended his sport more than anyone else,” said the Spaniard in an interview with Clay.
“When it comes to categorising who is the best, we would have to establish clear standards that are always a bit open to opinion, because who is the best, the one who holds the [Grand Slam] world record or the one who wins the Olympics? I don’t know.
“I think the one who has managed to play at a better level and do more difficult things is Federer, the one who has won more is Djokovic and if we were to count all the things Rafael hasn’t played because of injury, he would probably have won more than the others.”
The 62-year-old also claimed the distribution of different surfaces on the tour has put his nephew at a disadvantage.
“Well, Djokovic is better because he has won more titles than Rafael. If Djokovic is 23? But let’s establish a number of things, we live in a tour that is always played on fast courts. My nephew always plays three Grand Slams on the surface he doesn’t do well and one on the surface he does well.
“He has always played all the Masters (ATP Finals) on the surface he doesn’t do well on. In the world of sport, the officials can tip the balance one way or the other. Who wins the Tour de France? If the sports officials puts in the mountains, one type of rider will win it, and if he puts in a time trial, another type of rider will win it.”
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