Following his record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title, former World No.4 Guy Forget believes that Rafael Nadal stands alone as the greatest athlete in any sport.
Nadal defeated Casper Ruud on Sunday to win his 14th Roland Garros title, a feat that will likely stand the test of time. This led Forget to claim that the Spaniard was the greatest athlete of all time, putting him above boxing icon Muhammad Ali, NBA great Michael Jordan and soccer hero Pele.
"For me, Rafael Nadal has achieved the greatest feat in the entire history of sport. Period. He is above Ali, Pele or Jordan," said Forget in a recent interview.
To strengthen his claim, the 57-year old explained how difficult it is to win a French Open trophy, something Nadal has done 14 times. Furthermore, he recalled when people believes no one could beat Pete Sampras' record of 14 overall Grand Slams, but the Spaniard surprised everyone.
"A champion who is able to win 14 times the toughest tournament on the planet, the most difficult thing that exists, there are not any," explained the Frenchman. "We said when Borg won Roland Harris six times, it's monstrous. No one will do better. Sampras has won 14 Grand Slam titles. Nadal has won Roland Garros 14 times. It's unimaginable."