Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic locked in battle for greatest tennis player, claims former world number three

Former world number three Guillermo Coria believes that Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic are battling to become the greatest tennis player ever. Both were part of the original ‘Big Three’ and also consisted of the former world number one Roger Federer.

The three dominated men’s tennis for a good part of the last two decades. Djokovic is often regarded as the most successful player in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category in the Open era, having won as many as 24 Grand Slam titles. On the other hand, Nadal is not that far behind in the last as he has won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.

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Fourteen of those titles came while playing at the Roland Garros, which is why he is also known as the ‘King of Clay’. Former world number three Coria has recently spoken to Spanish media outlet Marca, where he talked about how both players are battling to become the greatest tennis player ever. Coria also praised Nadal ahead of his much-awaited retirement. The 38-year-old recently announced that he will retire from professional tennis after taking part in the Davis Cup where he will represent Spain in the quarterfinals.

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“It’s difficult because there’s [Roger] Federer and a lot of legends that we haven’t seen. I played against him (Nadal) and I put him with ‘Nole’ fighting for the number one spot,” he said. “On clay, he broke many records. I think he’s one of the best athletes in history because of what he generated and continues to generate. It’s a spectacular book on how to compete, how to approach a match, how to resolve the issue if things don’t go well and when things go well how to continue with that manual, how to handle yourself off the court, his statements. I think his family was very important and the people who surrounded him, especially Carlos Moya, who was his great partner and friend. It’s a bit like what’s happening now with Carlitos Alcaraz, who has [Juan Carlos] Ferrero, a former world No 1. That also helps to make the journey clearer and better because they have lived it. Rafa is among the four best athletes in the world.”