Over the years, there has been a strong debate about the greatest player of all-time in men’s singles. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have been at the center of these discussions. Before the start of this year, the ‘Big Three’ were tied at 20 Grand Slam titles apiece. However, Nadal has taken a massive lead in this race, taking his tally to 22 major titles after winning the Australian Open and the French Open this year.

Yesterday, Nadal clinched a historic 14th French Open title by defeating Casper Ruud in the final. During the tournament, he opened up about the GOAT debate in the sport.

Rafael Nadal talks about the greatest player in tennis

In an interview, the Spaniard was quizzed whether he was the best tennis player in the history of the sport. He said, “It’s not about being the best of the history, it’s not about the records, it’s about I like what I do, I like to play tennis and I like the competition. We achieved our dreams — me, Roger, Novak. We achieved things that probably we never expected. For me, what drives me to keep going is not the competition to try to be the best, to win more grand slams than the others.”

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Further, he added, “What drives me to keep going is the passion for the game. To live moments that stay inside me forever and play in front of the best crowds in the world and the best stadiums. That’s what drives me and the passion for what I do. Then of course, if I don’t feel competitive I don’t enjoy, so that’s it. It’s not about winning more titles. It’s about the goal to give myself a chance to keep doing what I like to do.”

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Novak Djokovic has a different viewpoint

On the contrary, the Serb has been quite vocal about how winning trophies has motivated him throughout his tennis career. Additionally, he felt proud and has valued his record of being the Number 1 player in men’s singles for the longest time.

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At this year’s French Open, Nadal took avenged his semifinal loss against Djokovic at the French Open 2021. In the recently concluded tournament, Nadal comfortably defeated the Serb in the quarterfinals.