Given the race of the big three is closer than ever after the French Open, it would be a good time to open up the discussion about the GOAT race ( Greatest of all time).

Emotion versus facts

One of the most appealing things for Tennis fans is watching their favourite player(s). This can sometimes block them from seeing the facts and identifying the GOAT based on their emotions and connection with their favourite pro. Most people are either team Federer or Team Nadal… Personally I feel there are a lot of people that respect the Joker’s ability as an athlete as well as his achievements but he cannot seem to get a fair comparison against the other big three in the GOAT race.

I raise the question.. If Tennis fans felt as connected with the Joker do you think that he would be talked about much more in the GOAT race? I feel the answer is a strong YES.

The stats –

Grand Slams – 20 for both Fed and Nadal.. with the Joker on 17 Slams.

Head to Head – Joker leads Nadal 29 – 27

Joker leads Fed 27 – 23

Nadal leads Fed – 24 – 16

Total ATP matches won in Career – Federer 1242 Nadal 999, Joker 930

Titles won – Federer 103, Nadal 86, the Joker 81.

Conclusion –

It really depends on what stat’s you use to draw the conclusion of who the GOAT is.. If it is Grand Slams… then Federer and Nadal are the winners… BUT if you then look deeper you could argue that Federer is the GOAT as he has won 243 more matches than Nadal…. .but then if you are looking at the Olympics achievements as well.. Nadal has a Gold in Single and Doubles… while Federer has no Gold Medals..

If we then look at the age of each player Fed 39, Nadal 34, and the Joker 33.. you could argue that Nadal is the Goat.. given he has achieved the same amount of Grand Slams as Fed and is 4 years younger… but many others would argue that the Joker is the ultimate GOAT because he is only coming into his own now and Fed is on the way out.. and Nadal’s physical game will mean he only has a short time left… Also… is it fair to say that the Joker is the GOAT given he has a winning record over both Fed and Nadal even though he has got 3 less Grand Slams?

One thing is certain… the discussion of who the GOAT is definitely divides a lot of people and makes for great conversation.

All us Tennis fans can only hope the GOAT race will last on many more years!