'I was the ATP's first world No.1 – Federer and Djokovic will not go down as the GOAT'

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have been snubbed by one tennis legend (Image: Getty)

Despite Novak Djokovic possessing a record 24 Grand Slam titles, he’s been overlooked as the greatest of all time in favour of Rafael Nadal. That’s the opinion of Romanian tennis hero, Ilie Nastase, who became the first world No. 1 when the ATP rankings launched digitally in 1973. Nastase’s credentials are undeniable. He faced off against legends such as Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe and John McEnroe in his time on the court. The Romanian retired from the game in 1985, having won the US Open in ‘72, the French Open in ‘73 and Wimbledon in ‘72 and ‘76.

Nastase, 80, was speaking at the Festival dello Sport in Trento, where he acknowledged that every generation has its own great players, singling out current world No. 1 Jannik Sinner as today’s finest. Yet when it comes to who deserves the status of best of all time, he didn’t hesitate to name Nadal over Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Nadal claimed 22 Grand Slam titles during his career, including a record 14 French Open championships, while Federer won 20, with Djokovic leading the pack. “I like tennis today. Every era has its champions: in my era, there was someone like [Rod] Laver, and now Sinner," Nastase told Gazzetta dello Sport.

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“Jannik? If you have a good serve and good movements today, you don't need much more to stand out. He doesn't play much at the net; he is very strong as he is. But the best player I have seen is still Nadal: winning 14 times in Paris is worth more than any other Grand Slam.”

Nadal is the GOAT in Nastase's eyes (Image: Getty)

Nastase’s assessment makes it clear that he views Nadal’s extraordinary dominance at Roland Garros as being more significant than the number of titles won overall. The Spaniard, who retired in November 2024, won all of his French Open titles between 2005 and 2022. During that time, he miraculously lost just three matches at the tournament.

However, Nadal himself claimed Djokovic was, in fact, the greatest player of all time. Speaking to AS ahead of his retirement, he said: "He's a player who has managed to maintain a very high level and improve every year. The numbers show he's the best, which means his tennis has also been the best.

"And he's been the most injury-free, which allowed him to maintain his physical, mental, and tennis levels longer than anyone. That's why he's the best, and he's earned it." While Nadal gets Nastase’s vote, the Romanian was careful to caveat his choice by declaring that you ultimately cannot compare players from different eras.

“I like tennis today,” Nastase added. “Every era has its champions: in my era, there was someone like Laver, and now Sinner. You cannot compare different eras in any sport.”