In the debate of the greatest tennis player of all time, arguably, the three names that are most often mentioned are Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. While numbers are in favor of the Serbian, the three of them have all enough merits to be considered the GOAT. In that sense, former World No. 2, Alex Corretja, shared his thoughts on the matter.
“There’s no doubt that, in the end, the ‘greatest player of all time’ is just whatever you feel. However, it’s evident that, and I would feel like it would be lying and denying the reality, that, by the numbers, it’s obvious that Novak [Djokovic] is the best in history, and you can’t argue with his records,” he told Eurosport back in October 2024.
However, as a Spaniard, he can’t avoid having a soft spot for Nadal. “Now, from there, whatever you feel, it is what it is. [In that sense], there’s no doubt that all that Rafa has given us, especially for us Spaniards, has been unmatched. Everything that we have gone through alongside him, at every stroke and every match, he has made us feel like we were part of those moments,” he explained.
Corretja, who works as an analyst for Eurosport, made his analysis just days after Nadal announced that he was officially retiring from the sport. While Nadal might not have the best records overall, he owns some significant achievements. His 14 French Open titles seemed like an impossible feat to repeat, and he is also the youngest male player to win the career Golden Slam (24 years old).
Novak Djokovic during the 2025 Australian Open (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Djokovic holds several records on his own: the male player with most Grand Slams in the Open Era (24), most big titles (72), most ATP Masters titles (40), most weeks ranked as World No. 1 (428), most ATP Finals titles (7), among others.
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The title that Corretja won that Nadal never could
One of the biggest “buts” in Nadal’s career is the fact that he never won an ATP Finals title, in which only the eight best players of the year compete. The Spaniard always struggled at the end of the year, sometimes due to injuries, but also because the tournament is usually played indoors, which was one of his worst surfaces.
However, Corretja, who came close to winning the French Open twice, was able to clinch the ATP Finals in 1998 in Hannover. In that week, Corretja defeated Andre Agassi, Albert Costa, Pete Sampras, and Carlos Moya en route to the biggest title of his career.
Alex Corretja celebrates after winning the 1998 ATP Finals (Gary M Prior/Allsport)
“The fact that it was indoor and at a difficult tournament for Spaniards, makes it even more special,” Corretja told the ATP Tour website in 2023, celebrating the 25th anniversary of his victory.
“Except for Orantes in 1976, nobody had ever won it and nobody has won it since. That shows how difficult this tournament is, with only the year’s eight best players competing. It shows that it is very difficult,” he added. In total, he won 17 ATP Titles, including two Masters 1000 (Rome and Indian Wells).
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Djokovic can still amplify his gap vs Federer, Nadal
With both Federer and Nadal retired, Djokovic could still add more titles to his resume, as he remains active. While 2024 was the first year since 2017 in which he could not win a major, his Olympic gold medal in Paris helped him complete the career Golden Slam. If he wins another major this year, he can also become the tennis player, man or woman, with most Grand Slams titles in the Open Era, breaking his tie with Margaret Court (24).
