With his victory in Australia, the Serb earns bonuses in the race to become the greatest tennis player of all time. Federer and Nadal are his rivals in battle.
A new title in Australia. A new Grand Slam. Another week at number one in the rankings. Novak Djokovic won everything last Sunday in Melbourne by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas, in a match that allowed the Serb to reassert himself at the top of tennis. In fact, many believe that this tenth Oceanic Open (and all that it brought) was the last step to earning the place of the best in history.
The position has been in constant contention over the past decade. Djokovic, Nadal and Federer were the protagonists of this battle, setting the pattern not only for recent years, but for all of modern tennis. A pertinent fact is that since 1991 there have been 32 Grand Slam winners. Of the three already mentioned, there are 64. Of the other 29 in this list, 63 . Total domination of the European trio, which finally seems to have a leader.
And it is that statistics and the world of tennis are on Nole’s side. The thirst for winning, the multiplicity of their achievements and the comparison around their great rivals make everyone a notch below.
His opponent in this year’s Australian Open final admitted as much, still with the taste of defeat in his throat. “It’s the largest ever designed to hold a tennis racket said Tsitsipas of the Rod Laver Arena during the trophy presentation. An opinion also shared by other heavyweights on the circuit.
Feliciano López, for example, was another of those who acknowledged there was a clear favorite on the pitch to win the award, albeit with a nuance. “The statistical data to decide who is the best in history at the moment favors Djokovic but the debate between Djokovic, Nadal and Federer will always be there. “, he commented.
Another of those who think the Balkans will be first in the battle is Boris Becker. The German, who coached Djoko until 2016, is honest about it. “ANDhis success is his life’s dream. He wants to become the most successful player in history. Even as a child, he already said: “I’m going to be the best”. And since he was right, now he’s at that limit “, he commented after his tenth Australian Open.
Locally, Horacio de La Peña is another of those handing over the job to Novak. “I think he’s shown it, not only for equaling Nadal at the Grand Slam, but also for spending more weeks as number one, winning six ATP finals, having most records that can be held at tennis and, apart from that, a positive record against Nadal and against Federer. Nole has the biggest advantage. In today’s figures, number one is him and we will see how this beautiful story continues to be written “, he tells Deportivo.
Each Grand Slam reopens the debate. “Beyond the fact that today Djokovic is much better physically than Nadal and with fewer worries, at Roland Garros Rafa will always have the advantage. Next are the tournaments where Novak is expected to win, namely Wimbledon and the US Open. But for example, in Australia, Djokovic was torn and the whole illusion could have ended there. Let’s also not forget that Alcaraz, Zverev and Kyrgios are going to come back, that Rune is going to make that jump any time, that Sinner and Berrettini are there, that Medvedev when he gets back to his form in the cement is going to be very tough “, adds the Argentinian.
If the discussion revolves around opinions, there will always be diverse perspectives. There will be those who believe that Federer is the greatest because of his impact on the sport and his elegance while playing. Others will say it’s Nadal because of his 14th Roland Garros, his fighting ability and having been hit the hardest with injuries. But if the discussion is about numbers, Djoko runs with a big advantage.
With 22 Grand Slam victories, he is tied with Nadal as the man with the most titles in this category and is only one behind Serena Williams and two behind Margaret Court to become the person with the most tournaments. majors. Wimbledon, an event that has conquered in the last four editions, seems to be the great chance to continue to increase this position.
Additionally, longevity works in Djokovic’s favor, as he is the player with the most Grand Slam titles won after his 30th birthday . He has ten, two more than the Spaniard and six more than Federer has signed at this time in his life.
Another determining factor is that he only has three weeks left as number one to surpass Steffi Graff as the person who has been the leader of the world rankings for the longest time. In men, it exceeds the Swiss (second on the list) by more than 60 weeks.
Among the male tennis players with the most titles won at the professional level, the Serb is 13 trophies away from equaling Jimmy Connors, who leads the statistics. Of course, surpassing the most winning woman is still a long way off, since this The seat is held by Martina Navratilova with 163 championships.
Finally, if the conversation is only about the clashes between the players who are fighting for the title of “greatest of all time”, Djokovic is also victorious, since he has a positive record in front of both. He faced Nadal 59 times, winning 30 of them, but showing great superiority in recent years, since for example The Balearics haven’t beaten him on cement since 2013 . On grass since 2008. Against Federer, however, it’s clearer: 27 wins and 23 losses.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
