GREATEST OF ALL TIME (GOAT)?

THERE is a difference between the greatest tennis player and the most successful. The latter is determined by fate, including avoidance of illness and injury. Think of Murray and del Potro.
Emma Radukanu’s victory at the US Open was one of the great achievements in sport. So was the victory of Rafael Nadal in the final of the Australian Open. But there is a difference. Nadal’s achievements span a period of 17 years.
At 35 years old, his preparation for the tournament consisted of six months of injury and surgery. And yet he played superbly all the way to the final where he faced the world number two, 10 years younger and in magnificent form. Perspiring profusely and two sets down, Nadal found a way to win.
Rafa has won 21 majors and, like Djokovic, each of them at least twice. Since 2015, he has been ranked among the top 10 for 854 consecutive weeks.
Is he the most successful tennis player of all time? Not yet.
First, if allowed to play, Djokovic could still catch and even overtake his 21 majors this year. Novak did win Roland Garros and Wimbledon last year. But would this make him a greater player than Nadal or Federer. Is his game as spectacular and dramatic to watch? Personally, I think that, whatever the statistics, Nadal is the greatest male player of all time.
Second, because of the unavailability of Rod Laver to compete in the majors from 1963-67, we shall never know how many he would have won. Considering he won all four in 1962 and 1968, probably at least 25.
Third, the greatest achiever is, surely, Steffi Graf. As a player, she had the measure of the other all-time greats; first Navratilova, then Seles and, at the end of her career, the Williams sisters. She has won 22 majors, each of them at least four times. She has a calendar Grand Slam, which included an Olympic winner’s medal, making it a Golden Slam. For 377 consecutive weeks she was world number one.
Since Steffi, we have had three decades of screaming and ‘wham, bang, thank you, ma’am’ tennis, mainly from the USA and Eastern Europe. Now, at last, there may be hope for a return to watchable women’s tennis, thanks to a new world number one. Australia’s Ash Barty reminds me of the great Steffi Graf, relying more on strategy, superb stroke play and self believe than raw power.
Barty avoids gamesmanship, snarling, roaring and confrontation. The world’s best female player is a modest, multi-talented athlete. An engaging and an interesting personality with genuine charisma. She is a role model and a delight to watch in interview and on the court.
As she abandoned tennis, aged 18, for two years in favour of cricket and is now 25, it is unlikely that she will equal Steffi Graf’s achievement. It is much less likely that Nadal or Djokovic will do so.
David Worboys’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.