Novak the GOAT? Why tennis legends still can't agree

1 year ago 53

If the GOAT statement comes down to numbers, Novak Djokovic is successful touching region of a wide mandate.

Win the Australian Open last connected Sunday night and helium draws level with Rafael Nadal connected 22 expansive slam titles.

He's edged up of Nadal successful their head-to-head clashes (it's inactive precise choky astatine 30-29) and surpassed Roger Federer by the extremity of his career, winning 10 of their past 15 clashes for a 27-23 winning grounds against the Swiss master.

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Djokovic besides has a winning grounds against some successful finals, though Nadal has a important borderline astatine the majors, winning 11 of their 18 meetings.

He's besides astir a twelvemonth younger than Nadal and his caller past suggests he'll proceed playing good aft the Spaniard finishes, fixed however wounded prone the King of Clay has become.

Dylan Alcott thinks Djokovic could decorativeness his vocation with a full of betwixt 24-26 expansive slams, which would astir surely enactment his 2 large rivals in the shade.

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Yet, enactment 10 tennis legends successful a country unneurotic and they'd each person a precise antithetic instrumentality connected who should beryllium successful the GOAT debate, fto unsocial who the holder of that prestigious rubric should be.

Exhibit A was a little treatment connected Nine's tennis sum connected Saturday night, with Todd Woodbridge suggesting Aussie stars Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall shouldn't beryllium discounted, earlier arguing that comparing eras was flawed, making a coronation for 1 tennis king impossibly analyzable and possibly adjacent sick advised.

"Some radical would reason that yes (Djokovic) owns it, but I was astatine a relation contiguous wherever Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall wherever there, are they not immoderate of the top of each clip arsenic well?" Woodbridge asked. "I thin to deliberation it's a statement you tin person for eternity due to the fact that you tin lone beryllium arsenic bully arsenic you are successful your artifact and these 3 person kept each different playing and going to caller heights, truthful I don't know, I don't privation to spell there."

On Wide World of Sports' The Morning Serve, Lleyton Hewitt added much nuance to the debate, arguing the heights Djokovic and Nadal had reached were lone imaginable due to the fact that of the beingness of Federer, who was taking tennis to caller heights erstwhile they archetypal emerged connected the country and continued to propulsion the barroom higher for the adjacent decennary aft they announced themselves arsenic contenders for his throne.

Tennis Legends astonishment GOAT instrumentality - Men's Final Preview - The Morning Serve

"It's precise pugnacious to comparison them all. Roger, helium did it successful an epoch by himself," Hewitt said.

"And helium truly leapfrogged the Sampras', Agassis, each those guys. And past I deliberation he's dragged Rafa and Novak on and made them amended players arsenic well.

"I'm conscionable truthful lucky, I think, for the athletics of tennis that we person 3 unbelievable ambassadors for the crippled and they're inactive playing, you know, into their mid to precocious 30s."

Should Hewitt's constituent adhd value to the lawsuit of Federer? If so, however much? Can a statement solely based connected numbers ever beryllium just fixed the mislaid years for the likes of Laver and Rosewall who were ineligible to vie successful the slams successful their premier years due to the fact that they decided they wanted to marque immoderate wealth from their trade and turned nonrecreational erstwhile the majors were the domain of amateurs.

There are truthful galore layers, but erstwhile asked specifically astir Djokovic's case, Jim Courier was prepared to marque a beardown lawsuit - adjacent if it was driven by earthy numbers.

"From a numbers standpoint he's apt to person much majors erstwhile it's each said and done than Rafa, conscionable based connected what their wellness prospects look like. He's decidedly going to person much weeks astatine satellite No.1 (Djokovic has spent 373 weeks astatine the acme compared to Federer's 310 and Nadal's 209), helium is 1 lucifer wide of Rafa successful their head-to-head, and that's a large one, and he's got the head-to-head against Federer, truthful if you're looking astatine purely the numbers, Novak's going to extremity up with astir apt the champion assemblage of work," Courier said.

An intangible that undoubtedly influences the GOAT statement is aesthetics.

Federer was creaseless arsenic silk and played a beauteous all-court game. Where Djokovic is simply a antagonistic puncher and Nadal a baseline warrior, who didn't make his nett crippled until precocious successful his career, Federer became the top successful the minds of galore due to the fact that of his method of success, not conscionable the occurrence itself.

Most tennis fans besides see him much relatable, arsenic ridiculous arsenic it mightiness dependable for anyone with hundreds of millions of dollars and Federer's manner to beryllium 'relatable'. He had a mode of expressing himself that his fans recovered warm. More than Djokovic, Federer showed himself to the satellite erstwhile helium failed. With his tears and his generous speeches helium peeled backmost the disguise and revealed the antheral underneath the magic. In immoderate ways helium felt similar a friend.

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Nadal is worshipped for his bloody-minded competitiveness and sporting integrity, which we saw again this twelvemonth during his little defence of his 2022 Australian Open title. Most players connected circuit would person retired with a hep wounded hampering their question arsenic overmuch arsenic it was Nadal successful his 2nd circular lucifer against American Mackenzie McDonald. Not Nadal. If helium tin bash truthful without exacerbating an wounded Nadal volition ever get to the decorativeness enactment to springiness his hostile his moment. Djokovic has ne'er appeared to stock that mentality.

It's possibly this broadside of the statement that irks Djokovic most. He wants the tennis and lone the tennis to usher the conversation. He wants it to beryllium achromatic and white, not grey and surely not colourful. Major titles to helium and his fans are each that matters erstwhile the comparisons are made.

It's wherefore galore judge Djokovic wants not conscionable to decorativeness his vocation with a grounds fig of expansive slams, connected that people helium wants to crush his 2 large rivals, truthful that, astatine slightest successful his ain mind, helium tin render the statement moot.

Starting against Tsitsipas helium has his chance. If helium tin gully level with Nadal at the property of 35, he'll backmost himself to enactment him successful his rear presumption reflector by the clip he's acceptable to retire.

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