Multiple players that have played in the era of the ‘big 3’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have their opinions on who is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT). Jo-Wilfried Tsonga recently gave a stipulation upon which Rafael Nadal could emerge as the front runner in the GOAT debate.
In his recent press conference, Tsonga said that since Nadal is five years younger than Federer and has the same amount of Grand Slams as the Swiss maestro, he is certainly close to winning the GOAT title.
“Considering that he is five years younger than Federer, what he has done is exceptional. Today we cannot question that he was the one who won the most.”
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And according to Tsonga, if Nadal manages to surpass Federer‘s Grand Slam count, then without a doubt he will be the GOAT.
“If he were to overtake Roger with the number of Grand Slam titles, there would definitely be no more debate on the greatest player of all time,” Tsonga said. (quotes have been translated)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Rafael Nadal and French Open 2021
Nadal is in a perfect situation to take the Grand Slam tally record. His favorite French Open 2021 is just over a week away. And according to Tsonga, Nadal is a firm favorite for the Grand Slam. The Frenchman also named Djokovic in the mix after the Serbian reached the Italian Open final where he lost to Nadal.
“Today there is no one who doubts that he is the inevitable favorite, you ask all the players, even those who are able to beat him today, they think he is the favorite . There is no doubt, he has won thirteen times in fifteen years, it’s just out of the ordinary. If there is one favorite, it’s Rafael Nadal.”
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Tsonga is one of the few that has beaten the big three on multiple occasions. He even played his one and only Grand Slam final against Djokovic at the Australian Open 2008. If Nadal manages to win a 21st Grand Slam at Roland Garros this year, it will incline many more people towards Nadal in the GOAT debate.
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