“He is above Ali, Pele or Jordan” Rafael Nadal called the greatest sportsman ever by former French Open director
Follow Us
Rafael Nadal, Muhammad Ali, Pele, Michael Jordan
World No. 4 Rafael Nadal stunned the world yet again as he won his 14th French Open title at the 2022 French Open defeating Casper Ruud in the finals. It was Nadal’s 22nd Grand Slam title and he is now 2 major titles ahead of his closest rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic who each have 20 Grand Slams to their name.
Apart from the title in Paris being Nadal’s 14th in 18th tournament appearance, it was also remarkable for the way he returned to the competition have limped off 2-weeks earlier in the 2022 Rome Masters and reached the Grand Slam with only two claycourt tournament appearances under his belt. He also reached the major for the first time without a clay title and the chances were quite slim for him to win after being handed a tough draw.
“It’s unimaginable” Guy Forget on Rafael Nadal’s win
On his way to the title, Nadal survived a five-set battle against Felix Auger-Aliassime, the third time he played a five-setter in Paris in the last 18 years. Post that, he defeated defending champion and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. He was engrossed in a lengthy battle with Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals with the two men about to begin their second set tiebreaker at the stroke of 3 hours but an untimely injury for Zverev forced him to retire mid-match.
“For me, Rafael Nadal has achieved the greatest feat in the entire history of the sport. Point bar. He is above Ali, Pele or Jordan. Try to find in a discipline as popular as tennis, not in a sport that has 25 licensees in the world, a champion who is able to win 14 times the toughest tournament on the planet, the most difficult thing that exists. There are not any.
“We said when Borg won Roland-Garros six times, it was monstrous, no one will do better. Sampras has won 14 Grand Slam titles. Nadal has won Roland-Garros 14 times. It’s unimaginable,” said Guy Forget, former French Open director speaking on Prime video Sport.
Follow our page FirstSportz Tennis for the latest updates
Stay Updated!
Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)