Tennis G O A T: Who Will Eventually Be Considered the Greatest of These Three?

[Cnut237]

The serving and serve receiving preparation that Nadal employs is really baffling. Why on earth would somebody be so superstitious

A lot of sports people do have these superstitions. I think it's all about establishing confidence and a feeling that you are in control. Imagine entering a high pressure contest against a player or team of similar ability to yourself. You are a great player, but so is your opponent. You can influence the outcome of the match, but you can't control it by yourself, because your opponent has a say as well. Superstitions of the 'if I do x then y' variety can help to establish confidence by creating a mental environment in which you have control.

[codegnome]

It can vary a lot. You should really just include the statistics, because they don't lie. Still, I think many people also have certain sentimental memories. Who cares if someone has won 140 titles or 139?
Then you cannot say player A is better because he has played more tournaments. You should look at the level of difficulty, so also look against who played which opponent, on which surface, how many sets he has lost.
There are many interesting statistics to unleash. And even then you cannot come to a winner. I think that with feeling Federer has won the most hearts in the tennis world.

[Bekuciwu9]

The serving and serve receiving preparation that Nadal employs is really baffling. Why on earth would somebody be so superstitious that they feel they have to tug at their underwear and then wipe the same fingers on their nose and then tuck some hair from the outside of their ears to the inside or having short hair feel the need to touch their ears?

Strange

This is common thing among famous athletes, most of them have weird superstitions. Observe tennis players and you will see that they often have some weird ceremony before serve. Very common is also that they dont step on any lines. Serena Willaism doesnt change socks between matched, she always uses same ones, Federer always have 8 racquets and uses 8 bottles of water, Jordan wore same shorts under his main one from 1982 up until end of his career.

I forgot to vote, now just did and voted for Federer. My opinion is that even if  if Nadal and Djokovic both win more grand slam titles, that wont change who majority people consider to be greatest of all time.

[examplens]

It is just a statistic because at Grand Slams it also something that people factor in because it is the only tennis tournament that has a winner based on the first to win three sets (best of 5 sets).

In fact Federer reached a record 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals between 2004 Wimbledon and 2013 Roland Garros. That is a record unmatched and will probably never be broken.

Also Federer has won an a record 20 Grand Slam singles titles (joint with Nadal) and a record 31 Grand Slam finals (10 consecutive, and another 8 consecutive – the two longest streaks in history), 46 semi-finals and 57 quarter-final appearances and with them being the best of 3 sets they are always going to be factored in and really classed as irrelevant.

but that means he had a lot of lost matches. the fact that someone has the highest number of lost finals can't help them to be promoted as greatest of all time. Rodger is older than Novak and Rafa, so he played a little bit more Grand Slam tournaments, it is not insignificant facts.
Of course, it can be ignored his constantly high level of quality for years. Plus little luck with injuries, I can't remember when Rodger had a long break due to injury.

[Twinkledoe]

The serving and serve receiving preparation that Nadal employs is really baffling. Why on earth would somebody be so superstitious that they feel they have to tug at their underwear and then wipe the same fingers on their nose and then tuck some hair from the outside of their ears to the inside or having short hair feel the need to touch their ears?

Strange

This is common thing among famous athletes, most of them have weird superstitions. Observe tennis players and you will see that they often have some weird ceremony before serve. Very common is also that they dont step on any lines. Serena Willaism doesnt change socks between matched, she always uses same ones, Federer always have 8 racquets and uses 8 bottles of water, Jordan wore same shorts under his main one from 1982 up until end of his career.

I forgot to vote, now just did and voted for Federer. My opinion is that even if  if Nadal and Djokovic both win more grand slam titles, that wont change who majority people consider to be greatest of all time.

Voted for Federer also. And at the moment, he has the highest votes here. But wonder, only few votes in the poll. Or maybe, some of them have no preference who's the greatest. But these 3 names really got their huge fan-based around the globe.

And talking about superstitions, I guess that's normal for athletes. They believe in particular ritual that they need to do in order to win their game or just be comfortable with their game.

[JollyGood]

The only two serious injuries I can recall are when he hurt his back in a Wimbledon semi-final against Raonic and that was when Murray went on to win the tournament - back in 2016. He had an operation on his knee and then returned to action but skipped several tournaments to recover until Wimbledon but he already had back surgery by then.

During the same period Nadal was suffering from an injury, both players were injured and not playing tennis while they recovered from injuries but met up for the launch of the Nadal Tennis Academy in Spain just months before the 2017 Australian Open and neither would have believed that the two of them would be in the final. I think that 5 set final in the Australian Grand Slam 2017 that Federer won was one of the most exciting tennis matches I ever saw. That fifth set that Nadal was leading 3-1 in the final set but had his serve broken twice by Federer and when he won Federer became the first man to win at least five singles titles at three different Grand Slam tournaments.

That was an absolutely classic match in the Australian Open final in 2017 that was played at the highest level - well worth a watch. Here is a link to final 5 games with Federer losing 3-1 at one stage but coming back to win 5 straight games and becoming champion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmpLSW47MPQ

You are right though, apart from that period in 2016 and also early this year Federer has been almost free from injury throughout his career, probably thanks to a genetic make-up from sports playing parents. Nadal has been suffering from foot and knee issues all his professional career and Djokovic has had elbow and other issues too.

It is just a statistic because at Grand Slams it also something that people factor in because it is the only tennis tournament that has a winner based on the first to win three sets (best of 5 sets).

In fact Federer reached a record 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals between 2004 Wimbledon and 2013 Roland Garros. That is a record unmatched and will probably never be broken.

Also Federer has won an a record 20 Grand Slam singles titles (joint with Nadal) and a record 31 Grand Slam finals (10 consecutive, and another 8 consecutive – the two longest streaks in history), 46 semi-finals and 57 quarter-final appearances and with them being the best of 3 sets they are always going to be factored in and really classed as irrelevant.

but that means he had a lot of lost matches. the fact that someone has the highest number of lost finals can't help them to be promoted as greatest of all time. Rodger is older than Novak and Rafa, so he played a little bit more Grand Slam tournaments, it is not insignificant facts.
Of course, it can be ignored his constantly high level of quality for years. Plus little luck with injuries, I can't remember when Rodger had a long break due to injury.

[SaShiRaJaVu]

but that means he had a lot of lost matches. the fact that someone has the highest number of lost finals can't help them to be promoted as greatest of all time. Rodger is older than Novak and Rafa, so he played a little bit more Grand Slam tournaments, it is not insignificant facts.
Of course, it can be ignored his constantly high level of quality for years. Plus little luck with injuries, I can't remember when Rodger had a long break due to injury.

The consistency to play at the highest level for a very long period of time alone will make Roger Federer the greatest of all time, the tricks and the skill level and the style of play is far superior than anyone else and these three players dominated tennis for over a decade and my favorite player is always Roger Federer but legacy wise these three are far ahead of the pack and probably the best players who ever played the game.

Becoming injury free is not just luck, it is hard work, determination and taking care of the body and Roger Federer excels in that department.

[Bekuciwu9]

Becoming injury free is not just luck, it is hard work, determination and taking care of the body and Roger Federer excels in that department.

That is true, if you take care of your body, you have better chances of be injury free. But sometiems some players simply have bad luck and are prone to injuries, and that is part of the sport.Many good talents are ruined because they didnt have luck with injuries,that is how it goes.

About Djokovic,i think that vegan diet didnt help him at all.Then he also had some type of guru with him that i think also messed up with him a bit.Alternative lifestyle is not good for pro athletes i think,and if he didnt go that way he would dominate even more.

[JollyGood]

Superstitions are rife in sportsmen and sportswomen around the world but Nadal seriously takes it to a whole new level, I mean every serve he is about to receive and every time he serves and let us not forget putting plastic water bottles down near his chair facing a certain direction and making his way to his seat after winning or losing games walking across certain court lines and so on... it is really excessive but if works for him then why not I suppose.

Like you I also voted for Federer, I have never ever seen a complete tennis player but have to say the closest to perfection in my opinion has to be Federer. He is a great player on the court and a great ambassador for tennis and charitable causes off the court. I know Nadal and Djokovic also have charitable causes they support their own foundations like Federer but on court in my opinion Federer overall is the best of these three, Nadal is second and Djokovic third.

Voted for Federer also. And at the moment, he has the highest votes here. But wonder, only few votes in the poll. Or maybe, some of them have no preference who's the greatest. But these 3 names really got their huge fan-based around the globe.

And talking about superstitions, I guess that's normal for athletes. They believe in particular ritual that they need to do in order to win their game or just be comfortable with their game.

[AliMan]

Becoming injury free is not just luck, it is hard work, determination and taking care of the body and Roger Federer excels in that department.

That is true, if you take care of your body, you have better chances of be injury free. But sometiems some players simply have bad luck and are prone to injuries, and that is part of the sport.Many good talents are ruined because they didnt have luck with injuries,that is how it goes.

About Djokovic,i think that vegan diet didnt help him at all.Then he also had some type of guru with him that i think also messed up with him a bit.Alternative lifestyle is not good for pro athletes i think,and if he didnt go that way he would dominate even more.

Some studies says vegan diet all alone cannot sustain longer when your having sports activities, you should mix it with lean meat instead. You can turn to fish if you don't want poultry animals which feed with processed feeds. However, if you're talking about the ability of these athletes I believed Nadal is more energetic and powerful over those mentioned guys.

[JollyGood]

Total votes so far: 21 Votes Have Been Cast


Federer 9

Nadal 7

Djokovic 5



The poll is very close but seems to be heading the way I thought it would. I always thought Federer would win, Nadal would be second and Djokovic third. The poll is open and has not closed so members are requested to keep on voting.

[Bekuciwu9]

Some studies says vegan diet all alone cannot sustain longer when your having sports activities, you should mix it with lean meat instead. You can turn to fish if you don't want poultry animals which feed with processed feeds. However, if you're talking about the ability of these athletes I believed Nadal is more energetic and powerful over those mentioned guys.

Nadal is probably physically most dominant tennis player ever, he is a beast so its not even close comparison between him and those two other guys.It is a miracle that he is still so good when you think that he is already 34 years old and how much he uses his body in every match.What Cristiano Ronaldo is in footbal, thats Nadal in tennis.

Djokovic should really give up on that vegan crap and  start eating normally.Professional sport is not healthy in general and you can make it even worse if you dont have proper diet.

[Daniel91]

Total votes so far: 21 Votes Have Been Cast


Federer 9

Nadal 7

Djokovic 5


The poll is very close but seems to be heading the way I thought it would. I always thought Federer would win, Nadal would be second and Djokovic third. The poll is open and has not closed so members are requested to keep on voting.

GOAT will not be determined by any polls but by the final result of all three at the end of their tennis careers.
Given that all three players are still playing, I would say that everything is still open, although I give a small advantage to Djokovic.

[casperBGD]

GOAT will not be determined by any polls but by the final result of all three at the end of their tennis careers.
Given that all three players are still playing, I would say that everything is still open, although I give a small advantage to Djokovic.

agree on this one, but do think that we will never have clear answer on this question, even if someone else announce either of the three as the greatest of all times, it would never be a definitive decision, that all will agree on, because one could always think that his favorite is GOAT, no matter what other are saying, and differences are too small to call clear decision

for me, no matter what, although I am a Serb, it would probably be Nadal, due to the fact that he has lowest level of talent, but most work included in his success, I think that Djokovic with Nadal's level of training, and his talent for tennis, would be unbeatable for years, but he is lacking training obviously
and Federer is for tennis aristocrats, he is something different for the two, and who likes Federer and his playing style, would never agree that either Nadal or Djokovic is better

[JollyGood]

Total votes so far: 22 Votes Have Been Cast


Federer 9

Nadal 7

Djokovic 6


Things are looking in interesting in the poll because the gap between Djokovic and Nadal is closing 

[Cnut237]

Djokovic should really give up on that vegan crap and  start eating normally.Professional sport is not healthy in general and you can make it even worse if you dont have proper diet.

I'd disagree. I think the diet has definitely helped Djokovic. The veganism yes, a lot of other dominant sports stars are vegan, Lewis Hamilton as an example.
But the biggest dietary difference for Djokovic was when he ditched gluten. That's what turned him into a relentless winning machine.

[JollyGood]

Djokovic can eat as many vegan meals as he wants but he will not be able to beat several records that Federer has to his name. Fantastic player is Djokovic but his regular gamesmanship where he feigns injury in order to confuse the opponent is very well documented. Federer and Nadal, did they ever fake an injury? I cannot recall even one time.

When he finally retires he will probably not be in touching distance of Federer and Nadal.

Djokovic should really give up on that vegan crap and  start eating normally.Professional sport is not healthy in general and you can make it even worse if you dont have proper diet.

I'd disagree. I think the diet has definitely helped Djokovic. The veganism yes, a lot of other dominant sports stars are vegan, Lewis Hamilton as an example.
But the biggest dietary difference for Djokovic was when he ditched gluten. That's what turned him into a relentless winning machine.