Djokovic, Federer, Nadal: Who’s the greatest of them all?
Serbian world No 1 stakes claim as best ever with 19th Slam
Novak Djokovic’s French Open triumph, which made him only the third man to win all four majors twice and took him halfway to a rare calendar Grand Slam, has reignited the debate over who is the greatest male player of all time.
The 34-year-old Serb wrapped up his second Roland Garros title and 19th Slam trophy with victory from two sets down over Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, 12 years his junior.
It was a triumph built on the foundations of his epic semi-final win against 13-time champion Rafael Nadal, only the Spaniard’s third loss in Paris in 16 years. Now Djokovic is just one Slam away from the record of 20 jointly-held by Nadal and Roger Federer.
“We have to start talking about the greatest of all time,” former world No 1 Mats Wilander told Eurosport.
Seven-time major winner and former number one Justine Henin added: “When Djokovic, Federer and Nadal play at their best, it’s Novak who probably stands out.”
Seven of his 19 Slam wins have come since he turned 30 and he has time on his side.
Djokovic is a year younger than Nadal and has the best part of six years on Federer.
Should Djokovic defend his Wimbledon title and triumph again in New York, he would become only the third man after Don Budge in 1937 and Laver, in 1962 and 1969, to complete the calendar Grand Slam.
Golden slam
“Everything is possible,” said Djokovic when asked if he could also become the first man to complete the Golden Slam of all four majors plus Olympic gold in the same year.
In head-to-heads, he has the advantage. His epic win over Nadal on Friday too him to 3028 over the Spanish star while he is 27-23 against Federer.
However, there are still areas where Djokovic lags behind.
His career total of 84 titles is behind Nadal’s 88 and Federer’s 103. He still has some way to go to beat Jimmy Connors’ all-time record of 109.