Rafael Nadal is no doubt the most popular name in Tennis and also one of the best.
He has made the most of a fantastic start to the 2022 season and has won three trophies
already, including the Australian Open, which he won to the delight of the crowd.
But, in the eyes of greats, how much of a champion is Rafael?
Is he a legend already?
Fans love him, no doubt but do tennis stars see him as a legend?
Let's find out!
STAN WAWRINKA Tennis legend Stan from Switzerland is one
man who knows all the trials one can face to become world number 1.
Looking at his achievements, one can very much say he has the roadmap in the palm of
his hands.
Talking about achievements, On January 27, 2014, Stan achieved a career-high Association
of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles rating of world No. 3 for the first time.
According to Stan, Rafael is "incomparable" to other tennis players; he has accomplished
a lot in his career despite his ailments.
After a six-month layoff, the Spaniard won his 21st Grand Slam championship at the Australian
Open.
Despite doubts about his ability to return in top condition, Stan believes that "Nadal's
victory was written since inception."
He stated, "Rafael Nadal's achievements cannot be matched to anyone else in tennis ."
But Stan, who returned to the tour after a long injury layoff in early 2021, said he
wasn't astonished by Nadal's performance in Melbourne.
The Swiss great stated in an interview, "Whatever happens, we cannot compare Rafael to other
tennis players."
He believes Rafael was always away for four, five, or six months virtually every two years
of his career and always managed to return and play at the top level.
It's funny how this was the case throughout his career, but also amazing because, despite
his difficulties, he continued to deliver.
One thing Stan admires about Rafael is his ability to accomplish all he accomplished.
He was not surprised at Rafael's win because he believes he's a cut above the others.
Throughout his career, he demonstrated that he could do things that others could not.
In Stan's words, he said, "We saw what happened to Nadal in 2014, a year marred by injuries,
and it would have been hard to predict his winning of the Australian Open.
But his victory is reminiscent of Federer's in 2017, and he has made history."
But the appraisal doesn't stop here; another legend Chris Evert seems to have positive
opinions to share about Rafael.
CHRIS EVERT Chris is a former world number one tennis
player from the United States who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam doubles
trophies during her career.
Although Chris believes that how Rafael plays is a bit extreme, she's shocked his body has
held up as well as it has.
The legend feels he pushes himself to achieve but also hurts his body in the process.
She says he has had to put forth more effort on the court, both in practice and in games,
than any other great player, which sometimes harms his body.
Also, the way he competes and practices is exhausting.
According to Chris, she believes he has made some changes to his routine, and the time
off he has had in between injuries over the previous years helped him relax.
However, she didn't stop there.
She went further to say, "Physically, it has startled me, but mentally, it has not astonished
me at all."
She believes every tennis player willing to be great would have to train the way Rafael
does.
Also, his hunger to win is compared to none.
According to her, that's his superpower.
Rafael is definitely one of the most talked-about tennis stars; his growth, records, and achievement
have got everyone talking.
Some are even referring to him as the GOAT, is he?
Well, that's a conversation for another day.
Let's hear what Borris Becker has to say.
BORIS BECKER Boris Franz Becker is a former world number
one tennis player from Germany.
He was a success right away, winning the first of his six major singles titles at the age
of 17, three Wimbledon Championships, two Australian Opens, and one US Open.
After Rafael won the Australian Open in 2022, Boris declared him the "most successful player
of all time."
Rafael has won more majors than any other player in history, joining Novak as the only
man to have won each major multiple times.
According to the legend, he believes that if anyone still refers to Rafael as the clay-court
king, they'd be making a big mistake.
He has won at least twice on every surface and in every Grand Slam tournament.
We can state that he is the most successful player of all time.
GREG RUSEDSKI Former world number 4 and US open Finalist
in 1997, Greg admitted that the first time he saw Rafael play was when he was just 15,
and he recalled the moment as frightening.
He said, "You imagine that it was like seeing Cristiano Ronaldo or George Best playing soccer
for the first time.
I was just, 'oh my God.
I don't want to play this kid'.
I had never seen anything like it."
Prior to Rafael's win in Melbourne in January 2022, Federer, Novak, and Rafael were all
tied with 20 grand slams each.
His win brought him top of them with 21 grand slams.
Greg said after the win that that's probably the greatest accomplishment of his career.
He went further to say, "If you want someone to play for your life, Rafael would be that
guy.
He never ever gives up.
He is superhuman from a mental point of view.
Talking about the greatest player of all time, Greg said Rafael has had great accomplishments
and won a lot, but he feels Novak will end his career being the greatest of the two.
While Greg might not agree that Rafael is the greatest, Richard Gasquet agrees with
that.
RICHARD GASQUET Richard, whose best performance in Grand Slam
singles tournaments was reaching the semifinals of the 2007 and 2015 Wimbledon Championships
and the semifinals of the 2013 US Open, might not be regarded as a legend by many.
But he has had his fair share of records to his name.
In a recent interview with We Are Tennis, Richard said it's almost impossible to outsmart
Rafael on the court, referring to him as the "GOAT of tactics."
He referred to Rafael's win over Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final as incredible.
"It takes someone with an outstanding mental game to come back from two sets down to win."
He said Rafael is someone who understands Tennis.
"He's able to make matches turn.
He knows when to move forward, backward and where to be best placed on the court.
It's really impressive."
ROGER FEDERER After Rafael's win in the Australian Open,
Federer, and Novak took to social media to congratulate the Spaniard on his record-breaking
21st major title.
Federer wrote on his Instagram story, "What a match!
To my friend and great rival Rafael Nadal.
Heartfelt congratulations on becoming the first man to win 21 Grand Slam singles titles.
A few months ago, we were joking about both being on crutches.
Amazing.
Never underestimate a great champion.
Your incredible work ethic, dedication, and fighting spirit are an inspiration to me and
countless others around the world.
I am proud to share this era with you and honored to play a role in pushing you to achieve
more, as you have done for me for the past 18 years.
I am sure you have more achievements ahead but for now, enjoy this one!"
Several athletes outside Tennis also congratulated Rafael, including football star Toni Kross,
cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, and formula one driver George Rusell.
Female Tennis legend Billie Jean King also shared her thoughts on Rafael's Tennis dominance.
BILLIE JEAN KING In a recent interview with AS, Billie spoke
about multiple topics and the domination of the big 3, and who she likes the most.
She claimed that she has always been a fan of the Spaniard ever since she met him while
he was still a junior player.
They are all three different.
I adore Nadal, "Billie told AS.
"Ilana (Kloss) and I met him when he must have been 14 or 15 years old, in South Africa.
I don't think he remembers, but we do because they said he was the child with the greatest
potential.
So we went, and we looked at him, and we were like, 'Oh my gosh, this guy is so good.'
So I love watching him play."
However, when she was asked who she thinks would come out on top of the 3, she said Novak
would most likely come on top with more titles among the 3 because Rafael and Federer hurt
their own chances of winning silverware by competing against each other.
Do you agree that Rafael is the greatest Tennis player ever?
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