TENNIS
Who has won more Wimbledon titles: Federer, Nadal or Djokovic?
The three stars will be in the conversation for best men’s tennis player ever, but the All England Club can narrow its heroes down.
By now it should be clear that Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest tennis players ever to play the game. Not only is the 24-time Grand Slam winner on the verge of going to this year’s Wimbledon final, but if he manages to get there and win, he will join the great Roger Federer on eight titles at the famous All England Club.
Novak Djokovic on the verge of Wimbledon history
On Friday, July 12, Djokovic will take on Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals of this year’s Wimbledon, and should he win, he’ll be on his way to the finals where he will face either Carlos Alcaraz or Daniil Medvedev who play the same day. The 36-year-old now stands on the verge of equaling his long-time rival, Roger Federer, in terms of title wins at the All England Court, as well as truly separating himself as the player with the most Grand Slams ever.
The GOAT of men’s tennis: Nadal, Djokovic, Federer?
In many sports, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, friends and acquaintances, and everyone else, tussle about who is the greatest of all time. Most of the time this debate is not quantifiable because you’re comparing two athletes who never competed against each other.
Think of Messi and Maradona. Think of Jordan and James. Think of Brady and Montana. These generational talents that mark a before and after in their sport’s history enrapture the world for the length of their careers until they pack it in and make way for the next wave of talent to try to fill their shoes. If we are lucky some of these greats overlap with one and other, but never does it happen that we get to see three of the best all-time playing at their peak, at the same time. Indeed, until Federer’s recent retirement, that was the case between the Swiss, the Serbian, and the Spaniard, Rafael Nadal.
Sixty-six grand slams between Rafa, Roger and Nole
You can say Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s stranglehold on the soccer world has now come to an end after decades of dominance. Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan played against each other albeit Jordan was a shadow of what he was by the time Kobe became Kobe. Kobe and LeBron overlapped as well, but by the time LeBron started winning championships, Kobe’s reign over the NBA was over. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have had a triumvirate in the tennis world since Novak, who is the youngest of the three, won his first Grand Slam in the 2008 Australian Open.
They are the greatest of all time. And they have shared the stage for the last decade and a half. Between them, they have a total of 66 Grand Slams, with Novak leading with a record 24, Nadal with 22, and Federer just behind with 20, where he will understandably stay due to his departure from the game. Though Nadal hasn’t followed suit just yet, due to injury it’s looking more and more likely that his days of winning Grand Slams are over. What that means is that Djokovic will end his career with the most Slams in the history of the men’s game, and could still add to his trophy haul before it’s over.
Who has the most Wimbledon titles?
As mentioned before it’s Roger Federer who currently sits on the Wimbledon thrown alone but now that he’s walked away from tennis, only Djokovic remains with a realistic shot at tying that record. Indeed, the Serbian sits just one behind. Here’s a look at how that all breaks down.
Roger Federer: 8
Federer won his first Grand Slam ever at the All England Club in 2003 when he defeated Mark Philippoussis, and that started a long love affair between he and the classy fans at Wimbledon. He would go on to win seven more times including five in a row from 2003-2007 beating Rafa Nadal in two of those finals. His last title at Wimbledon came 2017 when he defeated Maric Čilic. With the win over Čilic Federer surpassed Pete Sampras and and Wiliam Reneshaw to become the king of Wimbledon. His record eight titles on grass is coming under threat as Djokovic inches closer as each year passes.
Novak Djokovic: 7
Nole’s first taste of victory at Wimbledon came in a fabulous season in which he announced there was a new powerhouse in Men’s tennis. In 2011, Djoker won his second Grand Slam title at the Aussie Open, and while his hard court presence was already noted around the tour, he would go on two win two of the next three Grand Slams that year. He missed out on the French, but won his first Wimbledon championship against Rafa Nadal and then US Open later that season. He has won six titles since then, including back-to-back bids in 2014 and 2015, beating Federer in both finals. He would do it again in 2018 and 2019 first defeating Kevin Anderson and then Federer.
Quite frankly, it could be argued that were it not for the global pandemic which brought a halt to all sports, he would have made it three in 2020. Nonetheless, a year’s delay didn’t stop him as he defeated Matteo Berriettini in 2021 and Nick Kyrgios in 2022 to bring him just one Wimbledon title away from Roger Federer’s record-setting eight.
Rafa Nadal: 2
We all know Rafa is the King of Clay. He has won 14 Grand Slams at Roland Garros which is better than any other tennis player on any other surface. While his dominance is unmatched and unquestioned on the red courts in Paris, the grass courts of Wimbledon have not treated him as kindly. He won his first title at the All England Club back in 2008 when he and Roger Federer went to a tie break in a five set thriller. Nadal would win his second and last Wimbledon two years later when he defeated Thomas Berdych in straight sets.
The debate about who the greatest of all time in men’s tennis will go on long after these three have hung up their racquets, but it feels as though Wimbledon can now decide between just two.