The GOAT debate in men’s tennis rages on, with active players Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic right at the top of the list next to legends like Roger Federer, Rod Laver, and Bjorn Borg. After Djokovic’s most recent Grand Slam win at the US Open, though, Nadal himself is conceding the GOAT title to Djokovic.
“I believe that numbers are numbers and statistics are statistics. In that sense, I think he [Djokovic] has better numbers than mine and that is indisputable,” Nadal said in an interview with AS (h/t ESPN). “This is the truth. The rest are tastes, inspiration, sensations that one or the other may transmit to you, that you may like one or the other more. I think that with respect to titles, Djokovic is the best in history and there is nothing to discuss about that.”
Novak Djokovic, 36, just won his third Grand Slam singles title of the year at the US Open, moving his total to 24, which puts him two ahead of Rafael Nadal, 37, who last won a major at the French Open in 2022, and four ahead of Roger Federer.
And while Nadal has dealt with injuries over the past few years, which have significantly slowed down his Grand Slam-winning form, Djokovic is still playing at an incredibly high level with no end immediately in sight.
As for who could knock Djokovic off his perch at the top of men's tennis, Nadal says to keep an eye on his 20-year-ols Spanish countryman, Carlos Alcaraz, who got his second Grand Slam win this year at Wimbledon.
“He has been the world No. 1 until recently. Although he's very young right now, practically the only rival I see for him is Djokovic,” Nadal said of the up-and-coming Alcaraz.
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