I think the default is the highest amount of Grand Slams and at the moment, Rafael Nadal for me is the greatest of all time: Mark Woodforde
Former doubles World No. 1 Mark Woodforde called Rafael Nadal the greatest of all time on the basis that he has the highest number of Grand Slams.
The King of Clay won his 14th French Open crown by defeating Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the final. This was Nadal's 22nd Grand Slam singles title, thus extending his lead over rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic by two Slams.
King of Clay x 14 👑
@RafaelNadal remains undefeated in Paris finals, conquering Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 for a 14th title
#RolandGarros https://t.co/GctcC17Ah8
Speaking on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast, Woodforde said that had he been in Nadal's shoes last year, he would have thought of retiring. The Australian also said that Nadal's record of 14 French Open titles is one that will not be touched in his lifetime.
"If I had been in his shoes and I thought this last year, what a way to go out on thirteen titles, that’s enough for me," Woodforde said. "It’s a record that won’t be touched in our lifetime. I’d rather him go out on a winning note, than have to see him return to Roland Garros and suffer a loss."
Woodforde added that Novak Djokovic winning the Calendar Slam would have set him apart from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He stated that the default criteria for determining the greatest player of all time is the player with the highest number of Grand Slams and thus chose Nadal.
"If Djokovic would have won the calendar Grand Slam last year, that for me would have set him apart from Roger and Rafa, but now that that’s not in play, I think the default is the highest amount of Grand Slams and at the moment, Rafa for me is the greatest of all time," Woodforde added.
Rafael Nadal won his fourth title of the 2022 season
Rafael Nadal's triumph at the French Open marks his fourth title of 2022. The Spaniard previously won the Melbourne Summer Set 1, the Australian Open and the Mexican Open.
He has won 30 out of 33 matches so far this season and had his best start to a season, winning 20 matches on the trot before losing to Taylor Fritz in the final of Indian Wells.
2022 is the first year that Nadal has won both the Australian Open and the French Open back-to-back. He rose to fourth in the ATP rankings after triumphing at the Paris Major.
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