Tennis has seen several great players throughout the years. From Rod Laver and Chris Evert to the ‘Big Three’ and Serena Williams, many stars have broken records and inspired generations. But who is the greatest of all time? According to former World No. 1 and two-time US Open champion Pat Rafter the answer is clear.
“To me, (with) 24 (grand slam singles titles), it’s pretty evident that he’s the best player of all-time,” Rafter said of Novak Djokovic on September 15th, after the Serbian won his record-breaking 24 Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, according to news.com.au
“He’s got the record and he’s probably got the best win-loss record against all the players against each other as well, and against the other top players,” Rafter said, as he attended the announcement of the return of the Brisbane International tournament.
Djokovic has the Open Era record with 24 Grand Slam singles titles, the most among men in general and only tied with Margaret Court, who won 17 during the amateur era. He also has the most Masters 1000 (40) and completed the Golden Slam by winning the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Novak Djokovic during the 2025 Miami Open semifinals (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
The Serbian star also has a better head-to-head against Roger Federer (27-23), Rafael Nadal (31-29), and against his now coach, Andy Murray (25-11). He also leads in weeks as World No. 1, with 428 weeks in total.
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Pat Rafter’s remarkable career
Before Lleyton Hewitt, Rafter was the Australian star who dominated the tennis tour. Apart from becoming World No. 1 in singles, he also reached the World No. 6 in doubles. He won the US Open in 1997 and 1998, and was a Wimbledon finalist in 2000 and 2001.
He also was the first man in the Open Era to win the Canada Masters, Cincinnati Masters and the US Open in the same year. Only Andy Roddick in 2003, and Rafael Nadal in 2013 were able to repeat the feat.
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However, he retired in 2003, after spending a year recovering from injuries and losing the motivation to compete. He has worked as Australia’s Davis Cup captain. He is now founding ambassador for Padel Australia.
