How do we determine the greatest tennis player of the current generation?

(Left to Right): The BIG 3 – Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic

The debate continues...

Years will pass by, future generations will turn over the history books and look back at our time, with admiration in their eyes and envy in their hearts. We are fortunate to live in the famed golden generation of men’s tennis. It’s called the golden generation not because it witnessed Roger Federer’s magic or Rafael Nadal’s grit or Novak Djokovic’s finesse. It’s called so because it witnessed all three together. In the same era.

Every generation has it’s stars and every generation sends in its contenders for the title of the “greatest ever.” It’s basic Darwinian logic. Progression of time means evolution. Evolution means better players. Better players keep entering the circuit and so the debate about the greatest keeps going on. There was thePete Sampras- Andre Aggasi era and before that the Bjorn Borg - John McEnroe era and so on. But rarely do you see one generation producing THREE very strong contenders to the elusive title of immortality. Let’s try and break this down.

What defines greatest?

First of all let’s define the terms ‘greatest.’ Because if greatest means statistical supremacy, then this debate is already over. Federer wins. But fortunately for enthusiasts, the term greatest is not restricted to numbers alone. Because tennis ,and sports in general, have a component of “surreal” to it. Playing or judging a sport is not limited to scoring more runs or points. It’s about respecting the art that every sport embodies.

Imagine every tennis player’s critical attributes on a pie chart. On a pie chart, if there are four divisions, because the overall pie area is fixed, increasing the size of one division means reducing the size of the other. And keeping this paradigm in mind, the ideal/Perfect player is the one who has all four divisions equal in size. Four perfect quarters. In layman terms, the perfect pizza is one with perfectly equal slices. But most pizzas have some slices bigger than other. So what are these slices ?

Slice 1: The Serve

Arguably the most important stroke in the game. A good serve can win you , not just matches, but tournaments as well. Coupled with a conducive surface and complimentary volleying abilites, a strong serve can be a fatal addition to your arsenal. Servebots is a legit term in the modern game and you should be scared of them. Look at John Isner. Huge booming serve and minimal groundstrokes. He’ll just ace his way out of trouble, take sets to tie-breakers and win a mini break there.

Slice 2: Groundstrokes

The forehand and the backhand. The bread and butter of a tennis player. No need to explain this one. Groundstrokes are the limbs of a tennis proffesional and the perfect player needs perfect limbs. Remember, it’s unforced errors that cost matches. And groundstrokes are the solution to that problem.

Slice 3: Movement

Movement is that hidden element that constitutes a champion. Hitting the ball is one thing. But getting to that ball first is a completely different ball game. Great players, and certainly the greatest one as well, are great on court movers. They glide on the court. Running from end to end, shot after shot, picking up drops and hitting tweeners off lobs. You need good movement for all that

Slice 4: The X-factor

This is where it all matters. The infamous X-factor. The x-factor is that mental strength that separates a winner from a finalist. The grit and the determination to claw your way back from two sets and a break down. The confidence to save three break points and the wisdom to adapt your game to all surfaces.

So those are the slices that matter. There are other factors like volleying and injuries, but for all practical purposes, let’s consider them within the last slice. Now the picture is becoming clear. Who among the three of our generation is a near perfect mix of the four aforementioned qualities. As sursprising as it may be, the answer is Djokovic.

The perfect tennis player

Before Fedal fans start lambasting me, I have an explanation. Remember when I gave you the pizza analogy, I said the perfect one is the one with EQUAL slices. That is where Nole takes it. He has all these qualities; and he has them in perfect proportion. Except for conquering the red clay of Paris, Nole embodies the perfect tennis player. He can compete with Nadal’s movement, match Federer’s liquid forehand with his backhand and has the will power to save two match points and win against Federer in a U.S Open semi final.

His serve might not look impressive, but the efficiency of his serve is riveting. His serve is not just good producing aces; it helps him set up a winner. He can serve effectively out wide and then open up space on the other end of the court. Add to all that, he can volley accurately and rally for hours on all surfaces and has the greatest return of all time( as validated by the previous greatest returner – Agassi ). Federer loses out because of his weak backhand and because of his dismal head to head against Rafa. The perfect player has to be able to beat his greatest nemesis. Rafa suffers in the serve arena plus his clay dominated CV is a question mark. Djokovic, without a shade of doubt, is the perfect tennis player.

Strengths and weaknesses of the trio

But then the question is not of perfection, is it ? It’s about greatness. And sports, as I said before, has an element of the surreal in it. Djokovic is perfect, but what Federer does is simply inhuman. It’s above perfection. The fake drop against Gulbis, the casual flick against Tomic and the tweener against Nole himself. The flowing groundstrokes and the beautiful service stance. Tennis is privelged to have Federer. He is poetry in motion. Roger that.

And then there is Rafa. A living gladiator who refuses to bow down to any player or any situation. His game is clay oriented, but his will transcends all surfaces. He can beat Federer only because he has the patience and the mental strength to keep hitting the loopy high rising forehand to his weak backhand. He will chase down all shots and run till his legs tear off. And then run again.

The Djoker is perfect. But his two rivals are simply above all logic and morality. Rafa has the movement slice and the x-factor slice and Roger has all four slices in his favour except a diminished record in the x-factor arena because of Rafa. Yet, despite their distance from perfection, these two are the greatest in our sport. The spirit of a gladiator and the elegance of an eagle. Roger and Rafa are the greatest. You can’t distinguish between them. Just admire them.