Graphic Reveals ‘GOAT’ Out of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer

Tennis sensation Novak Djokovic completed a historic career ‘Golden Slam’ when he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in stunning fashion to pick up a long-awaited Olympic title in Paris earlier this year. Djokovic – who has won a men’s record 24 majors and earned every title there is in the sport – finally won Olympic gold at his fifth Games at Paris 2024.

The 37-year-old saved his best performance of the year for Paris to beat French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2).

“Everything I felt in that moment when I won surpassed everything I thought or hoped that it would,” said Djokovic. “Being on that court with the Serbian flag raising, singing the Serbian anthem, with the gold around my neck, I think nothing can beat that in terms of professional sport. It definitely stands out as the biggest sporting achievement I have had.”

The Serbian became just the fifth tennis player to win the ‘Golden Slam’ in singles – all four majors and the Olympic title – after Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Andre Agassi, and Steffi Graf.

Following the win at the Olympics earlier this year, fans began to debate who is the tennis ‘GOAT’ between Djokovic, Nadal, and Roger Federer. Fans have been blessed to witness the trio in action and going head-to-head for years in the same era. However, despite all the talk as to who is the best, an infographic table seemingly put the debate to bed.

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Novak Djokovic

66 titles at the 15 major tournaments

From the infographic uploaded to X – formerly known as Twitter – Djokovic has won a title at every major tournament in the sport of tennis, 66 in total. The table shows that the Serbian is most successful at the Australian Open – with 10 final victories to his name. His first came in 2008, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a nail-biting final, and his 10th title came in 2023, where he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner is also a big fan of grass, winning Wimbledon seven times, the same number of wins in Paris and at the ATP Tour Finals. The list of accolades is endless for the 37-year-old. After finally achieving his dream of becoming an Olympic champion earlier this year, it’s fair to say that Djokovic’s career is complete – with the graphic showing that he is the best player of the three aforementioned.

Rafael Nadal

59 titles at the 15 major tournaments

With a respectable 59 titles to his name, across the 15 biggest tournaments in tennis, is Nadal. While the total is still very impressive, it’s still quite some way behind Djokovic.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner is traditionally known for producing some of his finest moments throughout his career on clay at the French Open. With 14 titles at Roland Garros, the Spaniard was a force to be reckoned with on that surface during the peak of his powers. His first title at Roland Garros came in 2005, while his most recent victory came two years ago in 2022. There have been three occasions where the Spaniard has failed to strike gold; the ATP Tour Finals, Miami, and Paris. That said, he still sits comfortably in second and deserves all the plaudits for his glittering career.

The 38-year-old stunned the tennis world when he announced his retirement from the sport today, the 10th of October, with the Davis Cup being his last competitive action.

Roger Federer

54 titles at the 15 major tournaments

Lastly, but by no means least, Roger Federer is the least successful of the three, according to the infographic. That said, 54 titles in the sport’s 15 biggest competitions is still quite an achievement. The 42-year-old was dominant on grass and hard court surfaces throughout his professional career, winning Wimbledon and the Australian Open eight and six times respectively. Like Nadal, the former Swiss player failed to win three major tournaments (the Olympics, Monte-Carlo, and Rome).

Federer’s last success at a Grand Slam tournament came in 2018 after beating Marin Cilic in the Australian Open final, taking him to 20 Grand Slam titles.

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