What Tennis Legends Think Of Rafael Nadal!

Rafael Nadal is no doubt the most popular name in tennis, and also one of the best. He's 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 the 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. Tennis legend Stan Wawrinka from Switzerland is one man who knows all the trials one can face to become world number one. 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 for the first time. According to Stan, Rafael is incomparable to other tennis players. He's accomplished a lot in his career despite his ailments. After a six-month layoff, the Spaniard won his 21st Grand Slam Championship for 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. His victory is reminiscent of Federer in 2017, and he's made history. But the appraisal doesn't stop here. Another legend, Chris Evert, seems to have positive opinions to share about Rafael. 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 his 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 She says he's 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 in practice is exhausting. According to Chris, she believes he has made some changes to his routine. 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 startled me, but mentally, it's 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 Let's hear what Boris Becker has to say. 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 the history, joining Novak as the only man to have won each major multiple times. According to the legend, he believes that if anyone still referred to Rafael as the clay court king, they'd be making a big mistake. He's won at least twice on every surface and in every Grand Slam tournament. We can say that he is the most successful player of all time. Former world number four and US Open finalist in 1997, Greg Gorodetsky 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'd 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's a 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, 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 U.S. 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. After Rafael's win in the Australian Open, Federer 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 your incredible work ethic, dedication, and fighting spirit were an inspiration to me and countless others around the world. Proud to share this era with you and honored to play a role in pushing you to achieve more, as you've done for me for the past 18 years. I'm sure you have more achievements ahead, but for now, enjoy this one. Several athletes outside tennis also congratulated Rafael, including football star Tony Cross, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, and Formula One driver George Russell. Female tennis legend Billie Jean King also shared her thoughts on Rafael's tennis dominance. In a recent interview with AS, Billie spoke about multiple topics, and the domination of the big three, 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're all three different. I adore an adult, 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 three, she said Novak would most likely come on top with more titles among the three because Rafael and Federer hurt their own chances of winning silverware by competing against each other. Do you agree with Rafael is the greatest tennis player ever? Comment below.