"I cannot pick Roger Federer as the GOAT without Rafael Nadal; they are both such gentlemen of tennis that I cannot pick one or the other" - Tennis coach Carlos Rodriguez
Renowned tennis coach Carlos Rodriguez recently gave his two cents on the GOAT debate, remarking that the honor should belong to both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Functional Tennis Podcast, the Argentinian declared that he did not agree with people who said only one of them could be the greatest of all time.
Having watched both players closely since their up-and-coming days, Rodriguez opined that the duo complemented each other to such a degree that splitting them up would be unfair to both.
"I think Roger Federer for sure, and I cannot pick Roger [as the GOAT] without Rafael Nadal. I don't agree with people who say it is one or the other," Rodriguez said. "You cannot split those guys because I know exactly where those players started at 13 or 14 [years old]. Today, if I say it is one or the other, then something is missing."
Although the Argentinian admitted that tennis has seen a lot of champions in its time, he did not think anyone else could hold a candle to the Swiss and the Spaniard. Praising them both as "gentlemen" of the game, Rodriguez reiterated that it was impossible for him to pick just one of them as the GOAT.
"You have Novak [Djokovic], you have a lot of other champions, but these two are so different," Rodriquez said. "They are both such good people, such gentlemen of tennis that I cannot pick one or the other. I have to say both of them."
Carlos Rodriguez, who coached Justine Henin and Li Na to eight Grand Slam titles between them over his illustrious career, also touched on the Mallorcan's recent triumph at the Australian Open.
#21
Rafael Nadal rallies to defeat Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 to capture the 2022 #AustralianOpen.
THE ONE AND ONLY RAFA.
What a match. https://t.co/z3kWiJ8EhG
"Rafa was amazing [even at that age]. What Rafa did months ago in Australia is amazing," Rodriguez said. "It is something that nobody expected -- the level of tennis, the commitment, the fight and the spirit. How can you do that? Roger [too], in many ways."
Referring to what the former World No. 1 achieved as "amazing," Rodriguez was in awe of Nadal's grit and determination as well as the level of tennis he produced to outclass a much younger opponent.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have not played in the same tournament since last year's Roland Garros
Unfortunately, it has been quite a while since fans got a taste of the fabled Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry. The two have not played in the same tournament since 2021 at Roland Garros.
Federer and the Mallorcan had a shot at meeting each other in the semifinals at the French Open. Having progressed to the fourth round, Federer withdrew from his match against Matteo Berrettini, who in turn ended up losing to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
And following his own defeat against Djokovic in the semifinals, the 35-year-old cut his season short to recover from the aforementioned foot injury. Although he managed a brief return to action at the Citi Open, it came after Federer had already announced the end of his season following his loss at Wimbledon.
37/ The two legends would meet twice in 2019.
Fittingly:
Once on the clay of Roland Garros, with Nadal winning.
Once on the lawns of Wimbledon, with Federer winning. https://t.co/d7LBLa05jd
With the World No. 26 not expected to be in action anytime soon - at least until this year's Wimbledon - fans will have to wait even longer to see the pair lock horns once again. In fact, the last time the duo faced off came way back in 2019, when the 40-year-old defeated Nadal at SW19 in the semifinals.