The “greatest of all time” debate is an important topic in tennis in recent years, especially as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, And Novak Djokovic were part of one of the most iconic three-way rivalries in sports. Even though the Serb leads the statistics, there are still compelling arguments in favor of Federer or Nadal. Gaston Gaudio, The Argentinian Roland-Garros champion believes that the Spaniard is the best.
Gaudio is one of the few Argentine players to have won a Grand Slam singles title, alongside Guillermo Vilas, Gabriela Sabatini, And Juan Martín Del Potro. El Gato won Roland-Garros in 2004 after beating Guillermo Coria in a thrilling final. This day remains historic for Argentine tennis, since the Philippe Chatrier Court saw an all-Argentinian showdown, with legend Vilas presenting the trophies during the ceremony.
After his retirement he remained involved in tennis and captained Argentina to the Davis Cup in 2018 to 2021. In the 2019 editionArgentina lost 2-1 to Spain and Gaudio praised Nadalwho won his singles match and played a crucial role in the doubles victory alongside Marcel Granollers to move on to the next round.
Rafael Nadal is considered one of the best tennis players in history (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
After the series, Gaudio praised Nadal, ranking him above Federer and Djokovic as the greatest of all time: “Without taking anything away from the rest of the team, because Marcel Granollers played at a high level, Rafa controlled the doubles. Rafa always. He’s the best we’ve ever seen. Just when you think he can’t do the impossible, he does it. He’s there in the good times and the bad… he’s always there. He is the best in history.
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A great career, highlighted by an extraordinary Roland Garros
Although Gaudio turned professional in 1996, he began making a name for himself on the circuit, particularly on clay, as early as 2002. That year, he won the ATP 500 title in Barcelona and followed it up the following week with a victory at the ATP250 event in Majorca.
In 2004, he reached the pinnacle of his career by winning Roland Garros in an epic final against Coria. After losing the first two sets, El Gato fought back and took the 8-6 victory in the fifth. His best year came in 2005, when he won five titles: Viña del Mar, Buenos Aires, Estoril, Gstaad and Kitzbühel.and reached his highest ATP ranking, No. 5.
Gaudio’s record against the Big Three
Gaudio played more matches against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, as they were his contemporaries on tour. Against Federer, he had a record of 0-5, while he and Nadal split his six meetings, with Gaudio winning a memorable match in Buenos Aires in 2005 0-6, 6-0, 6-1. He only faced Novak Djokovic once, with the Serb winning.
