"Rafael Nadal is playing the best tennis of his life; while it will be incredible to see Roger Federer back, to see him win another Major is highly unlikely" - Patrick Mouratoglou
Novak Djokovic's triumph at Wimbledon, which came after Rafael Nadal's title wins at the Australian Open and the French Open, helped re-ignite the GOAT debate even as Roger Federer is expected to make a much-awaited comeback later this year.
Patrick Mouratoglou delved deep into the GOAT discourse by attempting to break down the numbers of the Big-3 based on Grand Slam wins, Masters wins, ATP year-end finals wins and overall ATP titles to better understand what constitutes the definition of the greatest.
In an Instagram video, the renowned coach reckoned that the GOAT race is now more exciting than ever on account of the Grand Slam numbers of the Big-3 as they currently stand, going on to add that Nadal was playing some of the best tennis of his life.
"Rafael Nadal is playing some of the best tennis of his life, recently beating Novak in the quarters of the French Open, but he still struggles a lot with his injuries," he said.
The 52-year-old also highlighted the physical condition of Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer with respect to their ages, asserting that it will be tough for the Swiss maestro to win another Grand Slam.
Djokovic, who is in good form, may miss the upcoming US Open and next year's Australian Open on account of his vaccination status, while Rafael Nadal is also at his best but struggling with injuries.
"Novak is the youngest of the three and is in great physical condition. So he has a chance of playing at the highest level for a few more years, however, he might be unable to compete at the next two Slams - at the US Open and the Australian Open - means his next shot at a title may be in Rafa's house at the French Open next year."
"Roger turns 41 soon and is planning to return to competition at the Laver Cup and the Swiss Indoors in Basel. It will be incredible to see him back on court but to see him win another Major is highly unlikely."
Mouratoglou ran through the Grand Slam numbers for Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.
"The GOAT race is still on and it's more exciting than ever. First, let's start with the Majors. Novak won Wimbledon, which puts him up to 21 Major titles, one ahead of Roger's 20 and one behind Rafa's 22."
"But, when we break them down, Novak leads at the Australian Open with 9 titles, Rafa has dominated at the French Open with 14 titles and Federer still leads at Wimbledon with 8 titles along with the US Open with 5 titles. But, looking to the future what can we expect?"
According to the coach, who is now part of Simona Halep's team, the young brigade, which includes the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, is fast catching up and will make it difficult for the Big-3 going forward.
"For all the Big-3, the more time that goes by, the tougher it will become to win Majors and we have a lot of great young players catching them. Alcaraz and Sinner are going to win Slams. Medvedev already has one at the US Open and we have a couple of players who have been close such as Kyrgios, Berrettini and Tsitsipas."
"But is it all about the Majors? - Patrick Mourtaglou analyses the numbers for Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer beyond the Grand Slams
The Frenchman, who once coached Serena Williams, also changed course to analyze how the three legends have fared in tournaments other than the Grand Slams.
"But is it all about the Majors? Novak has won the most Masters events. He has a huge 38 titles to Rafa's 36 and Roger's 28. Rafa is the only one out of the three to win gold at the Olympics singles event. Roger leads at the end-of-year ATP finals winning it 6 times to Novak's 5 and Rafa's zero."
"Finally, Roger has won the most ATP titles overall with 103 career titles to Rafa's 92 and and Novak's 88."
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Mouratoglou ended by asking fans to choose who they consider the greatest based on the factors he analyzes.
"Is the GOAT race all about the numbers or is it more than that? Who is your GOAT?," he asked.