There has been a never-ending debate as to who is the greatest tennis player of all time. The Big Three of Tennis: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer, have possibly achieved every milestone in the sport. However, there is constant discussion as to who could be regarded as the greatest.
Rafael Nadal’s former coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, has made a rather staunch statement on this discussion. In a recent interview, Toni Nadal was asked if he reckons Novak Djokovic to be better than his nephew, considering that he now has 23 Grand Slam titles. As expected, the Spaniard bluntly denied the statement and claimed that the schedule of the ATP Tour has placed Rafael Nadal in a less advantageous position.
As a matter of fact, most of the tennis is played on hard courts, a surface that is really suited to Novak Djokovic’s style of play. “Well, Djokovic is better because he has won more titles than Rafael. If Djokovic is 23? 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,” said Toni Nadal.
Toni Nadal rips apart into ATP for more focus on hard courts
Toni Nadal further pointed out that most of the Masters’ tournaments are conducted on hard courts. Despite this, Rafael Nadal has managed to win almost every single ATP 1000 event. The veteran believes that the schedule of tournaments favors Novak Djokovic, who is a better player when it comes to fast surfaces.
“He has always played all the Masters on the surface he doesn’t do well on. In the world of sport, the officials can tip the balance one way or the other. Who wins the Tour de France? If the sports officials puts in the mountains, one type of rider will win it, and if he puts in a time trial, another type of rider will win it,” said Toni Nadal.
The clay court season has a pretty limited window during the tennis season. Most of the tournaments are conducted in South America and Europe over a two-month period. The hard court season dominates the tour over two cycles, starting with the Australian Open swing and ending with indoor tournaments.
Toni Nadal believes that Rafael Nadal could have won 35 Grand Slam titles, given that the Australian Open would have been played on clay. “Of course! It’s a lot of little things that people sometimes don’t take into account. If you put one type of ball you favour one player or you favour another,” he further added.
That’s not all; he further backed the idea of having the year-end ATP Finals played on different surfaces. The ATP Finals title is among a few accomplishments missing from Rafael Nadal’s list.
