"The decade of GOATS" - Patrick Mouratoglou marvels at the era of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Serena Williams, LeBron James, and others
Patrick Mouratoglou reckons sports fans have never been more lucky than in the past decade, getting to experience the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and others.
With Tiger Woods, Lewis Hamilton and LeBron James, among others, also in the mix, the Frenchman declared that this was the "decade of GOATs," giddy over how crazy the timing was.
"The decade of GOATS: [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal, [Novak] Djokovic, Serena [Williams], LeBron [James], Tiger [Woods], Lewis Hamilton…. How crazy is that?" Mouratoglou tweeted.
The decade of GOATS : Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Serena, Lebron, Tiger, Lewis Hamilton…. How crazy is that ?
Interestingly, Mouratoglou's comments come just days after LeBron James overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time top-scorer in NBA history. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, are tied with 22 Grand Slams each, the most by any man in the Open Era.
Serena Williams, on the other hand, has the most Grand Slam titles by any player, man or woman, in the Open Era, retiring last year with 23 Majors to her name. Federer also announced his retirement last year, saying hurrah to the tennis world with 20 Grand Slam titles under his belt.
Lewis Hamilton holds the F1 record for most World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Michael Schumacher with seven), while Tiger Woods has the most PGA Tour wins in golfing history and the second-most major championships.
"In the end it's a complicated fight against a great champion like Djokovic" - Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni on the Slam race
Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni recently commented on the Slam race between his nephew and Novak Djokovic, opining that it was a complicated fight that is now the Serb's to lose.
With the World No. 1 much fresher, the Spaniard reckons he has the upper hand, albeit remaining optimistic about his nephew's chances at the upcoming French Open.
"In the end it's a complicated fight against a great champion like Djokovic. To overcome Djokovic is difficult because Djokovic is fresher than him," he said. "He will have options at Roland Garros and after France. We'll see."
The Mallorcan is the defending champion at the upcoming French Open, where he defeated Djokovic last year in the quarterfinals. Despite coming into the tournament with a foot injury, the World No. 6 did the unthinkable, winning his then record 22nd Grand Slam title with a victory over Casper Ruud in the final. It also marked his 14th title on the claycourts of Paris, another seemingly untouchable record in the Spaniard's pocket.