It's easy to see him winning the next three Slams to tie Federer at 20 and remaining far and away the No. When Djokovic is on his game, it's easy to assume everything is mere formality. 2 on the all-time Grand Slam titles list at 19, has a lot of points to defend this fall as the defending champ at both the US and French Opens. He trails Federer by 28 weeks, and it's quite possible he matches exactly 28 weeks after the clock restarts. And depending on what else does or doesn't get rescheduled, Roland Garros could be the only clay event remaining in 2020. PlayerĪs the defending champ at both the US and French Opens, Nadal also has a lot of points to defend this fall if, again, things go on as scheduled. Djokovic had the most points and was in by far the strongest form. And in the current rankings, only Nadal could provide a threat anytime soon. He topped the ATP rankings for 237 consecutive weeks between 20, then padded his career lead by taking over again for nearly a year in 2009-10 and in brief stints in 20.īefore tournaments stopped in March, though, Djokovic had been No. Adrian Dennis/Pool Photo via APįederer's unholy dominance in the time before Nadal's and Djokovic's respective peaks shines through here. No other active player has ranked even second.) Time may not be on Roger Federer's side but he indeed holds the records for most Grand Slam titles (20) and weeks at No. (At 41 weeks, Andy Murray is the only other active player to top the charts. 1, he's more than a year behind the top five. 1 record, it seems more of a "when" than an "if."īetween injuries and the fact that his best surface (clay) isn't featured as much as hard courts on tour, Nadal has lagged behind both Federer and Djokovic in this race. If Djokovic were to take both titles, the race would be all but over.Īs for the weeks at No. But Djokovic would be the betting favorite at the US Open, and he could certainly be at 18 (or possibly 19) by the end of 2020, as well. If both the US Open and French Open actually take place this fall as currently scheduled, Nadal will have an excellent shot at tying Federer by the end of the year. (Since Djokovic has won two of the past three at the All England Club, it probably hurt his quest a bit, too.) Djokovic: I will break Grand Slam recordĭjokovic's Australian Open win in January brought him to within three of the career lead, and Wimbledon's 2020 cancellation effectively eliminated Federer's best shot at a 21st title.The odds of Djokovic eventually blowing past both Federer and Nadal in most categories are pretty good. It's a nearly perfect debate, but only for now. At 282 total weeks, he trails only Sampras (286) and Federer (310). He already has earned more money than both and has spent 73 more weeks at No. Nadal fans can point out that he has not only dominated one surface like no player in history (he has won 12 French Opens), but also beat prime Federer on Federer's best surface - Nadal won their epic 2008 Wimbledon final, then took the 2010 crown, as well - and holds the head-to-head wins edge, 24-16.ĭjokovic fans can note that he had to surpass both Federer and Nadal in their primes and holds the head-to-head edge over both (29-26 vs. He also has the longest win streak against top-10 opponents. 1, plus the most Slam final, semifinal and quarterfinal appearances and most hard- and grass-court matches won. He indeed still holds the records for most Slam titles and weeks at No. They have combined to win 56 of the past 66 Slams, and over the years, each has put together "greatest of all time" credentials for fans to debate.įederer fans can point to the fact that he came first and forced everyone to raise their game. The three are now first, second and third on the career Grand Slams list: Federer with 20, Nadal 19, Djokovic 17. Finally, Djokovic figured out the perfect mix of fitness and tenacity to get past Nadal, winning three Slams in 2011 and five of six in 2015-16. Then, Rafael Nadal began to reel him in, winning three Slams in 2010 and nearly every French Open since. After Roger Federer won 15 of 25 Grand Slam tournaments from 2003 to 2009, breaking Pete Sampras' career record before Federer's 28th birthday, it appeared as if he was about to not only break the all-time record, but park it so far out on the horizon that no one could ever catch him. It was a pretty innocuous comment, especially by Djokovic's standards, but it made waves in allowing us to further a debate that has been ongoing for years.įor about the past decade, we've been living through the most incredible three-way race tennis has seen. That's what Novak Djokovic said on "In Depth with Graham Bensinger" last week. "I believe I can win the most Slams and break the record for longest No.
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