The GOAT debate has led to some of the most heated discussions in tennis. Subjectivity always trumped mere statistics when fans discuss the Big 3- Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Well, after all, stats can be deceptive and context always matters. Recently, the Spaniard’s uncle has vouched for him ahead of Djokovic in this unceasing debate.

Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach Toni Nadal has diminished Djokovic’s GOAT claim. The 62-year-old has contextualised stats to present a much stronger case for his nephew after the Serb took the lead in the slam race.

Toni Nadal undermines Novak Djokovic’s GOAT claim

Recently, Toni pointed out the variable factors that affected the slam race. He said in an interview with Clay Tenis, “Well, Djokovic is better because he has won more titles than Rafael. But let’s establish a number of things: we live in a tour that is always played on fast courts. My nephew always plays three Grand Slams on the surface he doesn’t do well and one on the surface he does well. He has always played all the Masters on the surface he doesn’t do well on.”

Toni believes that officials play a vital role in sports when it comes to determining statistics. Well, this isn’t the first time he has been critical of Novak Djokovic either. The former coach has never missed out on an opportunity on throwing a shade at the Serb, especially after his landmark achievements.

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When Toni Nadal said that Djokovic isn’t loved

Right after Djokovic equaled Nadal’s slam tally at the 2023 Australian Open, Toni took a dig at him. He tried to indicate that despite leading the statistics, the Serb would never be as loved as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. He criticized Djokovic’s behavior and hailed the other for being more level-headed.

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The 62-year-old also mentioned that when Djokovic broke through, Nadal and Federer had already formed a duopoly, which may also be the reason why the Serb is not as loved as his archrivals.