"No man or woman is bigger than the sport, but right now one man sits on top of our sport and that's Rafael Nadal" - Martina Navratilova
Tennis icon Martina Navratilova says Rafael Nadal is the greatest tennis player in the world at the moment.
The King of Clay produced a sensational comeback in one of the finest Australian Open finals to defeat Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. In doing so, he won a record 21st Grand Slam and his first Australian Open title since 2009.
Speaking on Tennis Channel, Navratilova said no one is bigger than the sport but the Spaniard is currently sitting at the top.
"My takeaway is that no man or woman is bigger than the sport but right now, one man sits on top of our sport and that is Rafael Nadal."
Final AO thoughts from our amazing team @jon_wertheim, @LDavenport76, @Martina, and @Steve_Weissman. 💕
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Former World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport said she loved the moment when Nadal went over to celebrate with his father. She also revealed that the Spaniard has "one of the tightest teams in the business."
"Amazing couple of weeks in Melbourne; Rafa has one of the tightest teams in the business but the picture of Rafa going over to his father to celebrate after winning another Australian Open, love this, the emotion," Davenport said. "Parents are there every step of the way from when you hit your first tennis ball, and what a journey its been for everyone in Rafa's family."
"I don't care much if I am the one or not the one or the best of the history" - Rafael Nadal
With his win, Nadal has overtaken Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the Grand Slam race. There are often debates as to who among the Big 3 is the greatest, but the Spaniard said he doesn't care about such discussions. Rather, he enjoys playing the game and especially "nights like today."
"I feel lucky to achieve one more very special thing in my tennis career. I don't care much if I am the one or not the one or the best of the history, not the best of the history. Honestly today I don't care much, no? For me it's about enjoying nights like today. That means everything for me, no? Means even more to achieve the second Australian Open more than any other thing."
The happiest man in Melbourne 😁🏆
@RafaelNadal x Norman on tour 🙌
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By beating Medvedev, Nadal became the first man in the Open Era to win an Australian Open final after trailing by two sets. The Spaniard remains fifth in the ATP rankings but is only 295 points behind World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas and 905 behind Alexander Zverev, who is currently ranked No. 3.