Woodbridge: Federer, Nadal & the GOAT question

After Wimbledon, I thought that the greatest of all time (GOAT) debate had been settled. Rafa’s win at the US Open has reignited it. He now has 16 Major titles, Roger 19, and there is no doubt that Rafa could potentially catch the Swiss.

That has re-opened the GOAT debate.

The way that these two have set out to determine who is the best is based on Major wins – the other tournaments are now simply warm-up events.

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Because of that, the ‘player of the year’ came down to who did best at the US Open, and that turned out to be Rafa. Rafa has now won two Slams, been runner-up in one, and got to world No.1. He is the best player of 2017.

Another thing that this year has shown us is that these two are keeping each other in the game for longer.

Roger can’t walk away just yet because Rafa is so close. Even though it’s three more Slams – and it’ll likely take Rafa at least two years to win them – Rafa can catch him, and I would say that he’s got a better than 50/50 chance of doing so.

That will encourage Roger to stay and win more. He’s competitive and he doesn’t want to lose that title – he won’t want anyone to overtake him. So Rafa has ignited another great phase in the rivalry of these two, and that can only be good for the sport.

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If Rafa does catch him, it won’t impact Federer’s legacy. In my mind he’s the most complete player that has ever played the game, and if Rafa had not been so dominant on clay Roger would have certainly won more French Open titles. You can’t say the same about Rafa on hard or grass courts.

The reality is that these two have both already carved out their legacies in tennis. I don’t believe that anyone will match Rafa’s record of winning ten Roland Garros titles; that is the greatest individual performance in the sport because it is the hardest tournament to win. Because of that, Roger has now been forced to try and create an unrivalled Wimbledon record – if he could get to nine that would be remarkable (but ultimately he needs ten to match Nadal).

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When they do eventually stop – regardless of who has the most Major titles – Roger and Rafa will have given us a rivalry that, as a player you aspire towards, and as a fan you can connect with. They’ve brought people from every corner of the world to the sport with their contrast in styles. You have the ultra-chic conservative Federer fans who love his classic play, and you compare that with Rafa’s bullish grit, determination and physicality.

They have brought something for every single person who is a fan of tennis. That will be their legacy to the sport.