Casper Ruud explains why he is picking Novak Djokovic over idol Rafael Nadal as GOAT
Casper Ruud is ready to definitively state that Novak Djokovic is the greatest of all time as the Norwegian tennis star highlights he has played against every Big Three member and knows extremely well how it feels to compete against any of them.
The 25-year-old, who turned pro in 2015, has only one win against the Big Three and it came against the Serb. However, it should be noted that the three-time Grand Slam finalist played Djokovic by far the most, while he met Roger Federer just once and has had two clashes versus his idol Rafael Nadal.
After not winning a single set in each of his first five meetings against the 37-year-old Serbian – including the 2023 final at Roland Garros – Ruud finally ended on the winning side earlier this year at the Monte Carlo Masters after sealing a 6-4 1-6 6-4 victory.
However, while Djokovic may be the only Big Three against whom the Norwegian has had a win, the two-time French Open finalist underlines that he was the toughest to deal with and also acknowledged the fact that the Serb is now an Olympic champion and that he also owns the all-time record for most Grand Slams and the world No. 1 ranking.
Ruud on why Djokovic is the best of all time
“Djokovic is a tough nut to crack and certainly deserves to be considered the best of all time. There is no doubt about everything he has won.
I often say that it is not possible to ‘round off’ tennis like a video game when there is nothing else to achieve, but in terms of merits and tournament victories, Novak has won all the titles possible. It was fantastic to see him win Olympic gold this season,” the former world No. 2 told Eurosport Norway.
Meanwhile, Ruud was slated to meet the 2023 French Open champion in this year’s quarterfinal at Roland Garros but it didn’t happen after the Serb injured his knee and was forced to withdraw. It remains to be seen if their seventh meeting will come before this season ends.
