At this point, the title of greatest of all time in tennis is between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Roger Federer would come in a close third but he is retired and his chapter in professional tennis has officially ended. Djokovic and Nadal on the other hand are still active and thus have a chance to extend their already amazing records and win more trophies.
At the end of 2023, Novak Djokovic’s dominance may have cemented him as the undisputed GOAT of tennis. While people may have different opinions and arguments for Nadal and Federer, let’s take a look at what Djokovic brings to the table. He lifted his 24th Grand Slam trophy at the US Open in 2023; that’s two more Grand Slam Trophies than the previous record holder Rafael Nadal who has 22.
The Serbian is currently ranked world no. 1 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has been ranked no. 1 for a record total of 418 weeks in a record 13 different years and finished as the year-end no. 1 a record eight times.
Djokovic has won a record 24 Grand Slam men’s singles titles. He holds the record for most Australian Open titles (10), and most big titles (71) – a record seven ATP finals, 24 majors, and a record 40 masters.
He is the only man in the history of tennis to be the reigning champion of all four majors at once across three different surfaces. He is the only man to achieve a triple Career Grand Slam in singles and the first and only player to complete a career Golden Masters, which he has now done twice.
King of Clay, Rafael Nadal on the other hand has won 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles and holds the record for most French Open titles (14). He has won 92 ATP singles titles, which includes 36 masters and an Olympic gold medal. He won 63 of these on clay courts, hence why he is called the King of Clay. He holds the record for the longest single single surface win streak with his 81 consecutive wins on clay.
Head-to-head, Djokovic has a winning record against both Nadal and Federer. He has faced Nadal 59 times and won 30 to set a record of 30-29 and against Federer, it stands at 27-23.
Even the King of Clay has weighed in on the argument essentially declaring Djokovic as the GOAT of tennis. Rafael Nadal believes the answer is in the numbers and statistics.
“I believe that numbers are numbers and statistics are statistics,” he said in an interview with Spanish newspaper AS (via ESPN.com). “In that sense, I think [Novak Djokovic] has better numbers than mine and that is indisputable.”
“This is the truth. The rest are tastes, inspiration, sensations that one or the other may transmit to you, that you may like one or the other more. I think that, with respect to titles, Djokovic is the best in history and there is nothing to discuss about that.”
So there you have it folks; Novak Djokovic is the undisputed GOAT of tennis. For now.