FRIDAY FEATURE: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic: who is the greatest male tennis player of all time?

With the 2021 season set to kickstart with the Australian Open next week this campaign will edge us closer to having a definitive answer on the age-old question: who is the greatest male tennis player of all time?

Rafael Nadal, 34, moved level with Roger Federer, 39 on a total of 20 Grand Slam titles last year following his Covid-delayed French Open victory at the end of last season.

The Spaniard could move ahead of his rival as Federer has had to withdraw from the season-opening slam as he continues his recovery from two knee surgeries that have kept him out since February 2020.

The absence of Swiss icon means we will not be seeing a repeat of the five-set thriller between Federer and Nadal in the 2017 final, therefore fans will not be able to witness the two players at the top of the tennis charts compete directly for the privilege of standing alone at the standings’ summit.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has practically owned the Melbourne courts since 2008, where he has won the title a total of eight times – the most out of any male player in history. The 33-year-old is very much in the conversation for being the greatest men’s tennis player of all time only trailing the top two by three Grand Slam. He also has age on his side by being the youngest of the trio.

Victory for the tournament-favourite Djokovic would move him to 18 Grand Slams and winning the remaining three slams this season isn’t out of the question for him either. Between 2015 and 2016 he became the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four slams – a run which lasted from Wimbledon in 2015 to the French Open in 2016. If the Serbian manages the sweep of all the Grand Slams in a calendar year he would become only the second male player in the Open Era to achieve the feat and would surpass the other two at the top of the charts with 21 titles.

There are several factors that contribute to the accolade of being known as the greatest of all time such as success, longevity, impact on the sport and of course personal preference.

While in most sports, the title could go to one of many players across several generations, the numbers in tennis cannot be ignored and the current generations’ top three standalone from players in any other generation in almost every category possible.

In terms of success in tennis there are many angles you can look at to make an argument for all three of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. The total number of Grand Slams is just one of many that include the likes of number of ATP Masters titles, total number of trophies, total number of wins, win percentage and longest time as world No 1.

While Federer and Nadal have won the most Grand Slams, it is Djokovic who is at the top of most Masters titles won with a career total of 36, closely followed by the Spaniard who sits on 35. Federer is some way behind on 28, but due to being the oldest of the trio aged 39 and having family commitments, the last few years of his career have seen him limit the amount of tournaments he has competed in to prolong his career and give himself better chances at the majors due to being less fatigued.

Yet, Federer leads the three in the total amount of trophies won with an extraordinary total of 103 titles well clear of his compatriots (Nadal 86, Djokovic 81). As well as leading in the total number of wins, he is superior to his rivals again with an incredible 1242 wins – 308 clear of Djokovic and 238 of Nadal.

Yet if you can look to win percentages of the trio the picture flips again as it is Nadal who leads with a career win percentage of 83.1 per cent closely followed by Djokovic who is at 82.9 per cent while the Swiss trails with a still incredulous 82.1 per cent win percentage.

Fans of the Swiss and Serbian players will counter this argument with the fact that their favourite players have spent longer officially as the best in the world.

Federer currently holds the record of 310 weeks as world No 1, however Djokovic is scheduled to surpass him on May 8, 2021 as he is currently the top ranked player and has already accumulated 306 weeks at the top of the men’s game. Nadal is a long way from this record with ‘only’ 209 weeks as the top ranked player, having been plagued with continuous knee and back injuries during his career.

However, the Spaniard holds a title that neither of his competitors can say they have and that is a singles’ Olympic gold medal. Nadal achieved this by defeating Fernando Gonzalez to win gold at the 2008 Beijing Games. Federer came close however lost in the London 2012 final to home favourite Andy Murray. The best Djokovic has managed is a bronze medal in 2008 after losing to Nadal in the semi-finals.

It would be easy to get lost in the numbers that the trio have produced over the past two decades and you can argue a case for any one of them being the eventual greatest of all time when their careers come to an eventual end simply by manipulating the statistics in their favour.

Each player brings to their own unique attribute to the table. Federer became the example of elegance and touch with his silky footwork and mesmeric one-handed backhands. Nadal exuded intensity and physicality playing each and every point as if his life depended on it. Djokovic became is the definition of flexibility and speed reaching positions that most gymnastics would struggle to recreate. Each player has taken their attribute to beyond the realms of belief to elevate the standard of the game to another level.

Djokovic is the man tipped by most tennis icons to top the list of Grand Slams wins and weeks at the top of the world rankings come the end of his career, due to having age on his side and solidity on every surface. Yet despite this, he is the player on the fringes of the discussion by most tennis fans.

One of the things that keeps the Serbian detached from the argument of the greatest of all time is his ability to be a role-model for the younger generation and the face of men’s tennis.

The 33-year-old is known for his mental fragility and losing his cool when things aren’t going his way, hurling abuse at his team, smashing rackets, and most recently at the US Open being disqualified for hitting a line-judge in the throat with a ball.

Furthermore, there is his unusual gamesmanship techniques that have led to criticism from the fans. Djokovic has been known to fake injuries and act as if he’s falling over after hitting an unforced error in order to make their opponents believe they have the upper hand and drop their concentration.

The Serb most famously did this against Andy Murray in the 2015 Australian Open final, distracting his opponent in a crucial third set that all but won him the match.

Federer and Nadal are the polar opposites compared to Djokovic in this sense, with one of the two winning the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award every year since 2004. The award is voted by the players on tour and given to the individual who has conducted themselves with the highest level of fairness, professionalism and integrity on and off the court. Notably, the Serbian has never won the award.

Such awards prove the impact the players have had in the game and in society, winning fans from all over the world and attracting new eyes to the sport in the process. It comes as no surprise now that whichever tournament you attend the majority will be cheering for either Federer or Nadal, if not both. The same cannot be said for Djokovic who has in the past clashed with the crowds and felt harshly treated for not receiving the same level of appreciation when competing.

Each of these icons have had a longevity in the game that outlasts the majority of those that have come before them as proven by their numbers. However, Djokovic was a late-bloomer compared to Federer and Nadal. Despite winning his first major in 2008 aged just 20-years-old the Serbian failed to reach another final of a Grand Slam until the end of 2010 – only really solidifying his position at the top of the game in 2011.

While in comparison, the other two players were battling each other from 2006 onwards at the pinnacle of the sport. The rivalry between the Swiss and the Spaniard has had the most on the line for each player with 60 per cent of their 40 matches being played in the final of a tournament and therefore drawing more attention to the two stars.

Djokovic has built an intense rivalry with Nadal too in the last decade with 50 per cent of their 56 meetings having been played in a final. Additionally, Djokovic leads the head-to-head records against both Federer and Nadal having played each opponent at least 50 times.

Yet, the longevity and the stakes of the rivalry between the two most coveted stars in tennis is another reason why Djokovic remains for the time being on the outskirts of the discussion.

The 2021 season edges ever closer and it could be the season Djokovic puts himself in the forefront of the greatest of all time debate or it could solidify either Federer or Nadal’s position at the top of the mountain of endless great names.

One thing for certain though is that we are privileged to be living in an era of the three most decorated players in tennis history and whichever of them you believe to be the best has several valid reasons to be considered so.