14 French Open titles! The number is equivalent to the Grand Slam titles Pete Sampras has won throughout his career. Rafael Nadal has won just the French Open the same number of times as Sampras achieved in his whole career. Nadal’s 14 French Open titles is equal to Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer’s combined number of French Open wins in their career.
The exhibition of Tennis that he put out in the French Open 2022 is proof that the greatness debate in the Fab 3 is heavily tilted towards Nadal. Yes, Federer did lay the original benchmark of dominance starting from 2003. Djokovic came out on top against the duo in most surfaces. But, Nadal’s consistency has been on another level altogether.
The prime reason for Nadal being greater than Federer and Djokovic is multiple. In peak Federer, he never managed to get the better of Nadal at the French Open. On the other hand, Nadal ended the zenith of Federer on his own surface in Wimbledon in 2008. Unlike Djokovic, Nadal’s off-court antics and his demeanor make him less controversial. Djokovic, a legend on the court, has not covered himself in glory by his remarks against the coronavirus vaccination.
Nadal settles G.O.A.T debate
In many ways, Nadal has sealed the greatest debate due to the sheer value of his numbers. Nadal is the first individual to break down every aspect of Federer’s play on all surfaces. That is the prime reason why he has a positive head-to-head record against the Swiss maestro. His level of intensity against Djokovic is such that their head-to-head is almost even.
When it comes to Grand Slams, Nadal is a clear winner on all fronts. He is level with Djokovic by winning all four Grand Slams twice in the Open Era. But, Nadal’s two Olympic golds and Davis Cup success is what makes his achievements greater. The only thing missing from his kitty is the year-ending ATP Championships. If he does that this year, then he would have achieved the career Super Grand Slam. The only other person to do this is Andre Agassi, but Agassi never won the doubles gold.
Djokovic and Federer are lacking in some aspects. For example, Federer will always be haunted by the fact that his one French Open title in 2009 came when Nadal was dumped out in the fourth round. Had Nadal reached the final, Federer’s career Grand Slam dream might never have been achieved. Djokovic, on the other hand, has never won medals in the Olympics. When he was going for the Calendar Slam, he lost the Olympic gold and the Calendar slam.
The win at Roland Garros, where he has just lost three games in the last 17 years, is a tribute to his consistency and ruthlessness. Add to this his injury woes in the last couple of years, basically playing on one leg, Nadal is truly the greatest. Beyond Federer and Djokovic.
