Rafael Nadal’s unique Roland Garros achievement eclipses other records in GOAT debate, says former world No 12
Feliciano Lopez has insisted that “the debate is still open” in terms of the greatest tennis player of all time (GOAT), stating that he feels Rafael Nadal’s one achievement “eclipses others”.
Many believe the question “Who is the GOAT?” has been settled with Novak Djokovic the emphatic answer on the back of his phenomenal performances over the past few years as he has won the most Grand Slams with 24 with Nadal second on 22 and Roger Federer another two adrift.
Djokovic has also won the most ATP Masters 1000 titles (40), he has spent a record 421 weeks at No 1 in the ATP Rankings with Federer a distant second on 310 weeks and he is the only man to complete a triple Career Grand Slam (winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open at least three times).
Former world No 12 Lopez, though, thinks Nadal remains part of the conversation as he highlighted the Spaniard’s 14 Grand Slams at Roland Garros as a milestone that surpasses other achievements.
In a Q&A with the official Madrid Open website, Lopez was asked if Nadal “is without a doubt, the most important player in the event’s history?”
He replied: “It’s almost an offensive question. It’s obvious. Nadal has done things that have never happened in history.
“He’s not only the best Spanish sportsman of all time, for many he’s also the best tennis player in history. Yes, the debate is still open. Some say Djokovic, who has the irrefutable numbers.
“But others believe Rafa has also made a case. Personally, I believe he’s done incredible things that might contribute to him being considered the best in history, above all the fact that he’s won the same Grand Slam 14 times. To me, that achievement eclipses others.
“This tournament was born without Rafa, but it grew up with him and obviously he has made an inordinate contribution to the whole growth of the tournament. The people of Madrid adore him and it’s been amazing to see the tournament grow along with our best player.”
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As things stand, this year’s Madrid Open will be Nadal’s final one as he had announced last year that he would retire after this season.
Nadal is a five-time champion in the Spanish capital, but he hasn’t played since his quarter-final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in 2022.
Madrid Open Tournament Director Lopez, though, is hopeful that the former world No 1 will return next year.
“Nobody’s ready for Nadal to leave us, honestly,” he said. “Not the fans, not his peers, I think that Rafa’s retirement will be very painful for the whole tennis world, but we don’t know when it will be.
“Hopefully it’ll be very late, as late as possible… But, I don’t want to believe it’s his last playing year here either. I hope he still has a few left, because there’s currently a lot of uncertainty surrounding his retirement.
“I’m not thinking about this being Rafa’s last time here. My wish is for him to be well and healthy, and that he can complete a clay swing as he would like to. From there, we’ll see what happens. But I think he’ll still play in Madrid more than once. I hope this isn’t his last.”
