Rafael Nadal says Novak Djokovic has a chance to win Wimbledon, and he still rates him as the greatest tennis player of all time. Djokovic is 39 and is chasing a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam while trying to move level with Roger Federer on eight SW19 titles.
Djokovic’s Wimbledon start
Djokovic opened his Wimbledon campaign by beating Wu Yibing in four sets, a start that keeps him in position to extend a career that has already produced more than most of his peers. Since 2023, though, he has not added to his Grand Slam tally, so every round now carries the weight of that gap.
Nadal’s view is built on what Djokovic has already done, not on reputation alone. Nadal won 22 Grand Slams and a record 14 French Open titles, but he said the numbers still put Djokovic at the top of the sport.
Nadal’s numbers verdict
“Novak is still here because he loves this sport and feels the passion to compete,” Nadal said. “While he maintains that motivation and his body allows it, he will continue to have chances to fight for the most important tournaments.” He added: “What he has achieved is extraordinary. We have all taken our careers to the limit, and he continues to do so.”
That is the pressure point around Djokovic’s run at Wimbledon. He is 39, chasing the biggest title of the summer, and still operating in a field where world number one Jannik Sinner is the heavy favourite to win a fifth Grand Slam and second Wimbledon title, while Carlos Alcaraz already has seven major titles at 23 despite missing Wimbledon and the French Open through injury.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Nadal did not dress up the comparison between eras. “It’s all about numbers,” he said. “When I say Novak is the best tennis player of all time it’s because that’s what the numbers say.”
He also drew a line between the all-time standard and the next generation: “I don’t know. I mean, you need to play well for a super long time.” For Djokovic, that leaves the simple task of turning a strong opening at Wimbledon into the kind of run that changes the record books again.
