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Reality Check Awaits Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s Fans as Novak Djokovic’s GOAT Claim Evaluated by Argentine Legend

Published 03/26/2024, 9:34 AM EDT

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Argentinian tennis legend, Juan Martin del Potro was recently spotted attending the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Gael Monfils at the 2024 Miami Open. During his recent visit to the venue where he reached the SF in 2009 and 2018, del Potro was seen meeting with the Spaniard during the pre-match warm-up routine. Juan Martin del Potro also had a short interaction with Danny Miche, from the tournament where he gave his opinion on the GOAT debate.

The 35-year-old former tennis player revealed what Novak Djokovic needs to do in order to end the GOAT debate once and for all. But he has different opinions on each of the big three.

“Each one was the best in history” – Juan Martin del Potro on the ‘Big Three’

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Juan Martin del Potro believes, “Each one was the best in history at different times.” He believes Roger Federer was unbeatable from 2006 to 2009, whereas Rafael Nadal was the best on clay. He added, “Novak still has a long way to go, he won more titles than them and it is still being discussed. I believe that if he wins a couple more Grand Slams. There will no longer be a discussion no matter how many fans there are of Roger and Rafa” (translated from Spanish).

Last year del Potro revealed that his “dream” was to become the world number 1, but the “Big Three” had stood tall in front of his dream. The only thing I lacked was being No. 1 It was always a dream and I always worked for it… but I was proud of my career and I never made it because there was either Federer, or Nadal or Djokovic. When I look at the rankings and the years of my career and who was fighting to be No. 1, I see that it was beautiful that these were the ones who didn’t let me make it, this dream,” del Potro said, and retired in 2022 due to injuries.

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Novak Djokovic penned down an emotional message during his retirement, thanking him for the rollercoaster of emotions that fans had gone through whenever he stepped on the court. Even in 2020, Novak Djokovic heaped praise on the Argentinian.

“One of the most unfortunate tennis players” – Novak Djokovic on del Potro

After seeing Juan Martin del Potro suffering from a series of injuries during the 2020 season, Djokovic said, “He’s probably one of the most unfortunate tennis players I have known with injuries.” He added that even after having missed so much time from his career due to injuries, what del Potro has achieved in his career has been truly amazing.

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It shows the quality of tennis that the Argentinian possessed. But at the same time, Novak Djokovic felt it was really unfortunate to see him struggle so much in his career. Share your thoughts on Martin del Potro’s up and down journey in his career.

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Written by:

Sayantan Roy

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Sayantan Roy is a Tennis Writer at EssentiallySports, who crafts tennis tales that not only capture the game's essence but also reflect his creative genius. As a believer in unbiased journalism, Sayantan, a fan of both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, loves to fuse the world of such tennis rivals and present balanced copies as fan reaction pieces. Engaged in sports since college, he brings that passion to life.
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Edited by:

Arunima Bhanot