Despite the very serious consequences of the pandemic around the world, Rafael Nadal was able to win the 13th Roland Garros of his career in 2020. In addition to the demolition of Novak Djokovic in the final, another triumph in Paris enabled the former ATP number 1 to hit the record of 20 Grand Slams of his eternal rival Roger Federer.
For his part, Djokovic has an excellent chance of breaking the weekly record at the top of the world rankings thanks to the new ranking system introduced to mitigate the effects of the long suspension of the tour.
All of these factors have rekindled the debate about the greatest of all time. In an article for ‘Nieuwsblad’, the former manager of Kim Clijsters – Marc De Hous – focused on Nadal’s position in the GOAT discussion.
The Belgian explained how the Spaniard’s impressive dominance on clay makes him one-dimensional compared to Federer and Djokovic. De Hous is best known for his collaboration with Clijsters, which led to the top spot in the WTA rankings in both singles and doubles.
De Hous on the GOAT debate
“Whether Rafael Nadal is the best of all time remains a tough question,” said Marc De Hous. “He is more specialized in one surface than Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Federer is also the only player to have a 40-game winning streak in two Grand Slams. But Nadal remains the ultimate super professional who plays every ball as if it were his last, even on a bad day, ”added De Hous.
“David Goffin can learn a lesson from this.” De Hous was also critical of some of Novak Djokovic’s other slip-ups in 2020, highlighting that the 33-year-old was irresponsible with some of his actions.
“He (Novak Djokovic) was virtually unbeatable for a full year until he eliminated himself by unwittingly hitting a tennis ball against a judge,” said De Hous. “He can be a fool at times with his nonsense about dirty water and his exhibition tournament that has spawned so many COVID infections.”
Marc De Hous is also convinced that Rafael Nadal will do that job again this year and will even consider a big bet on the Spaniard’s victory. “In this new season full of sporting and non-sporting insecurities, Nadal is the only certainty for me on the Parisian sand,” said the Belgian.
“I want to bet a good thousand euros on him. A win at Roland-Garros would immediately make him the only record holder with his 21st major. “Photo credit: Reuters
–
