Duels of Rafael Nadal v Roger Federer a factor in GOAT debate says former Argentine tennis star
ATPMonday, 26 February 2024 at 02:30
Former Argentine player Martin Jaite believes that the intense
rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal makes it difficult to label Serbia’s
Novak Djokovic as the greatest player ever.
There has been a lot of argument in favour of the current world
number to be regarded as the greatest player in the history of men’s tennis in
the singles category, having won as many as 24 Grand Slam titles.
Jaite was recently quoted in a report where he highlighted since
Federer and Nadal, who are also in the discussion of the greatest player ever,
were involved in an intense rivalry which stretched to more than a decade, it is
hard to favour Djokovic for that title despite his on the court achievements in
the sport.
“It’s very difficult for me to put a ranking of the best
players of all time, because there are a lot of important players that I didn’t
see play,” he said. “For example, many people talk about Laver, and I didn’t
see Rod Laver play. I started watching tennis with Bjorn Borg, Guillermo Vilas
and all that bunch.
“Then, you have to go by the number of titles won and the
number of Grand Slams. In that sense, one might think it’s Djokovic, but for
me, the duels of Federer and Nadal were stronger than the duels of Nadal and
Federer with Djokovic. It’s very difficult to take sides with any of the three.
Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.
He began his journalism career working with partners of The New York Times and has since contributed to several leading international sports publications, including Fox Sports Asia, Calciomercato, and GiveMeSport. Since 2023, Azeem has been part of the TennisUpToDate team, where he has played a key role in sustaining the platform’s growth and ensuring tennis fans receive timely and reliable coverage of the sport’s biggest stories.
In addition to his editorial work, Azeem has extensive experience as a data analyst in live sports broadcasting—particularly in cricket—where he combines analytical precision with creative storytelling. He has collaborated with multiple production companies and cricket boards worldwide, delivering real-time insights and data-driven narratives during live match coverage.
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