Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, along with Roger Federer, are often at the center of the ‘greatest player of all time’ debate in tennis. Here’s what a former World No. 5 with major wins over the ‘Big 3’ has to say about it.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who retired after the 2022 French Open following a remarkable 18-year career in which he won 18 singles titles, has added his voice to the ongoing debate about the greatest tennis player of all time. As many other tennis legends, his choice is between two of the biggest names in the past two decades, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
In an interview with Le Republicain Lorrain in November 2023, Tsonga, a former World No. 5, was definitive in his assessment, naming Djokovic as the best in history. “The GOAT is Djokovic. And I think he can go for 25, 26, 27… maybe 28 Grand Slam tournaments. You never know,” the 38-year-old stated.
Djokovic currently holds the record in the Open Era with 24 Grand Slam singles titles. He still continues to build on an impressive career that also includes an Olympic gold medal, 40 Masters 1000 titles, and 428 weeks as world No. 1. The Frenchman, who beat all members of the Big 3, shared similar sentiments on Instagram in 2023.
“I’m rather from ‘Djoko’ school because I’ve been around him for many years,” he wrote, after a fan asked him to choose between the Serbian and Jannik Sinner. “I think he is the most complete player on the circuit. He is the one with the most guns on his asset. And he proved again this year that the level at which he evolved has not yet been reached.”
Tsonga previously said Nadal could be the GOAT
While Tsonga now firmly places Djokovic at the top, his stance hasn’t always been the same. In 2021, during a press conference in French, Tsonga’s comments leaned toward Rafael Nadal as the greatest.
“Considering that he is five years younger than Federer, what he has done is exceptional. Today we cannot question that he was the one who won the most,” Tsonga said. At the time, Nadal was closing in on Federer’s then-record 20 Grand Slam titles.
Tsonga also added, “If he were to overtake Roger with the number of Grand Slam titles, there would definitely be no more debate on the greatest player of all time.” While Nadal briefly surpassed Federer, Djokovic has since gone further and cementing his status between the three legends.
Tsonga’s impressive stats against the Big 3
Tsonga’s career featured numerous battles against Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, and his record in these encounters highlights his exceptional talent. He is one of an elite group of players to defeat all three legends when they were ranked world No. 1.
This feat includes victories over Federer in Montreal in 2009, Nadal at Queen’s Club in 2011, and Djokovic in Toronto in 2014. The only other players to accomplish this are Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro.
Tsonga is one of the only three players, alongside Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych, with wins against Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray at Grand Slam events. His triumphs include defeating Murray and Nadal during his breakthrough run at the 2008 Australian Open, Djokovic at the 2010 Australian Open, and Federer at both 2011 Wimbledon and 2013 Roland Garros.
