Just like players, the fans are preparing themselves for the new season as well. The tennis community on social media have been discussing various tennis theories throughout the off-season. The post that has got most engagement recently has been the ‘Players Tier List’ which features Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
In this post, players were ranked in four categories, GOAT, Legends, Greats and Underrated. However, this list caused a lot of discussion on social media. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Pete Sampras were filed under the GOAT tier. Meanwhile, Andre Agassi found a place in the Greats list and Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios were listed as under-rated.
This list got the fans on social media talking. Some fans felt that the list kept on getting worse, while others questioned Nadal’s status as the GOAT. A tennis handle even said that Nadal has never dominated tennis as much as Federer, Sampras and Djokovic. Majority of tennis enthusiasts were also against the inclusion of Nick Kyrgios on the list, even under the Underrated tier.
This gets worse and worse the longer you look at it pic.twitter.com/rc01QFX74D
— Swish (@Zwxsh) December 27, 2023
Nadal not in same league as Novak Roger and Sampras. Never dominated any era
— sj (@sjgameland) December 27, 2023
kyrgios won 0 grand slam. the only one of the list lol
— Germain Sampras (@guigui1984) December 27, 2023
Where’s Rod Laver? John Newcombe, Ken Rosewell, Nastashe, Guillermo Villas and their ilk? Where’s Arthur Ashe? How come a @NickKyrgios makes the list – when he hasn’t done anything noteworthy, hard to fathom. Where’s Safin, Kafelnikov, Pat Cash, Hewitt ?
— Arijeet Palit (@palit_arijeet) December 27, 2023
What in the world is kyrgios even doing on there.
Nalbandian is underrated. Safin is underrated
Ffs Guy Forget is more underrated than him
— TvRF (@TvRFTennis) December 27, 2023
kyrgios underrated? He is more too much overrated
— Elena (@elenaclaudia22) December 27, 2023
How can a player who has more tennis talent than Federer but who hasn’t won a single Slam be considered underrated?
— Flavietto99 (RAFA 22 ) (@FlavioBertolin8) December 27, 2023
Sampras, Borg and Agassi should have a tier for themselves between GOATs and Legends, Kyrgios shouldn’t be there. Rest is fine(ish) I guess
— They call me (@MiguelMartinsT) December 27, 2023
Legends should be above GOAT level. They are vying for true GOAT status. Roger, Rafa and Novak belong in a tier of their own. GOATs should be Sampras, Agassi, Connors, Borg, Lendl, McEnroe, Wilander. Greats are Edberg, Becker and Laver. Underrated are Murray, Stan, Courier etc.
— Marco (@Mrey55) December 27, 2023
Nadal was never the greatest of anytime? He never had the records except briefly with most slams. Rod Laver should have taken his place surely
— jaxx7048 (@unrandomrants) December 27, 2023
Novak Djokovic leading the GOAT debate ahead of Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic is leading rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the GOAT debate. The Serbian has won an unprecedented 24 Grand Slam titles, while Nadal has 22 and Federer has retired at 20. Nadal’s recent struggle with injuries has made it tough for the Spaniard to win more Grand Slam titles. Although, Nadal is back on tour for the 2024 season, it will not be easy for the Spaniard to catch-up with the form of Djokovic and the younger generation.
2024 will present Djokovic with a chance to secure his status as the tennis GOAT. The Serbian is the favorite to win more Grand Slam titles and continue his great form into the new season. The 36-year-old can also win an Olympics gold medal in Paris in the Summer. Djokovic is the only player between the ‘Big Three’ to not win an Olympics gold medal and if he finally manages it, he will have shored up his status as the best even further.
