Who’s The GOAT

Federer, Nadal, Serena or Djokovic? Hamilton or Schumacher? Tendulkar or Kohli? Ronaldo or Messi? What defines the coveted status that is the Greatest of All Time?

Ravin Batra

05/08/2021

The near-empty stands at the Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo could not dampen the aura around Novak Djokovic as he entered his Olympic semi final match against Alexander Zverev. The Serbian world number one and 20 time grand slam winner (record tied with Federer and Nadal) had won all three slams contested so far in 2021 and was gunning for a feat that no man in the open era and no person since 1988 has been able to achieve- winning all four grand slams and an Olympic Gold Medal in the same calendar year. The Golden Slam. Having forever lived in the shadow of his two archrivals- Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the Olympic Games provided an opportunity for Djokovic to leapfrog the two superstars and cement his own status as the most successful tennis player of all time and increasingly likely- one of the greatest athletes of all time. Djokovic’s superstardom was evident as soon as the games begun- with numerous athletes across various nations and sports lining up to get a photo with him at the Olympic village or catch a glimpse of his practice sessions at the stadium. Djokovic started his campaign in ominous fashion dropping just 17 games in his first four matches including a 6-2, 6-0 rout of home favorite and former grand slam finalist Kei Nishikori. The Serb carried that invincible form into the match against Zverev, breaking thrice to go up a set and a break. And that's when it all fell apart. Experiencing a sudden dip in form, Djokovic lost 10 out of the next 11 games, smashing racquets and aggressively screaming at his team, eventually losing both his semi final and bronze medal match. In the space of 24 hours his dream of an Olympic gold, another Olympic medal and the golden slam had all vanished, that too in the most displeasing of fashions. As the dust settles on the Ariake Tennis Park one begs the question- has his GOAT status too diminished in the process?

Defining the greatest of all time or awarding an athlete GOAT status is something sports fans around the globe have spent hundreds of hours debating. Is the greatest the one who has the best stats or the one with the most attractive playing style? Does being the “face of the sport” automatically make you the greatest to play that sport? As the GOAT do you have to make yourself the most marketable role model out there or do you win ugly when necessary? For a long time in tennis, Roger Federer ticked all the boxes, however the exponential rise and success enjoyed by Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic has thrown the debate wide open. Whilst close to equal at the time of writing, Djokovic is expected to soon become statistically the best player out there. The Serb as highlighted however, has not created the best image for himself- often winning ugly (smashing racquets and having outbursts), polarising the tennis world by forming his own player union and thus often having to settle for being the antagonist when it comes to crowd support especially when up against Federer and Nadal. Nadal on the other hand has maintained a spotless public image and dominated the French Open (he is a 13 time winner there) like no other athlete has dominated any event ever. Critics argue his overall success is skewed by his dominance in Paris, however two US Opens titles in his second wind prove that he too has an all-round game. Federer, like Djokovic, has enjoyed repeated success almost everywhere he has played. Earning a whopping $106.3 million (topping the Forbes list for global athletes in sponsorships) whilst nursing a knee injury in 2020, the Swiss has established himself as one of the most marketable sports people out there and definitely the “face of tennis”. Whilst his statistical records are evaporating in the twilight of his career, the fact that he has consistently enjoyed success across arguably two generations of tennis players means that he cannot be ruled out of the debate just yet.

The GOAT debate in tennis can be likened to the one that football fans around the world often find themselves engaging in. The “battle” between Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi is seen as a contest between hard work and pure talent, success against each other and success around the world, earnings and public image, speed and skill and the sheer will to guide their teams to victory in the most desperate scenarios. Many can make a case for Ronaldo and his success across leagues in Europe, his unparalleled fitness levels and one of a kind charm with the media, but the same can be said for Messi and his unique skill set, domination and evolution at Barcelona and his statistical success over the last 20 odd years. At the end of the day there are many parameters that make the greatest of all time and while we can narrow it down- its still open season on how we weigh them.

Tennis and football fans around the world are lucky to be witnessing some of the “greatest” athletes to have ever played the respective sports, play against each other at the same point in time. When Lewis Hamilton won his 7th Formula 1 world championship in the fall of 2020, many started to question whether he had overtaken Micheal Schumacher as F1’s GOAT. Comparing athletes from two different generations introduces a whole new set of complexities. In the case of Hamilton and Schumacher, making a comparison is so much harder because a lot of success in F1 is dependent on the car that they drive. Schumacher won two titles in an “underdog car” with Benetton whilst Hamilton took his competitive Mclaren to the title in 2008 before both swept their way to multiple titles with dominant Ferraris and Mercedes’ respectively. But even then, were the cars of Schumacher’s age easier or harder to drive? Did Hamilton have more submissive teammates? Was Schumacher more of an ugly winner? Who really has the better racecraft? Similar generational questions will be brought up when critics decide to crown the greatest cricketer of all time. Whilst Virat Kohli may end up statistically the best player of all time, Sachin Tendulkar carried a greater burden of expectation, relative to his team. Were the likes of Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis more dangerous than stars such as Mitchell Starc, Jimmy Anderson, Dale Styen and Mitchel Johnson? The fact that Kohli captained his country for a large part of his career will also need to be taken into consideration. Thus when comparing such generational greats, it is close to impossible to discern certain factors that make them better or worse than each other. Similar factors play a role in the Jordan v Lebron fight and Tiger Woods v Jack Nicklaus bout for the GOAT title in their respective sports.

Some very courageous fans have even gone to the lengths of debating the greatest athlete of all time. Whilst there are many parameters that may guide people to a whole load of opinions, GOAT debates will continue to dominate nights out and other such gatherings because being the greatest is a whole lot more than just winning; it's about how you go about your winning and whom you are able to inspire. This generation of sport is lucky to be witnessing some of the best, most dramatic competition there has ever been; truth be told- the greatest winner here is the fans.