Rafael Nadal and Chris Evert are the clay GOATs, Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest after them: Tennis analyst

Tennis analyst Steve Weissman recently took on the subject of Novak Djokovic's place amongst the greatest claycourters of all time. The American believes that while the Serb is not exactly at the level of his archrival Rafael Nadal on the dirt, he is up there with the best of the best.

Djokovic has arguably the most statistically unassailable resumé in tennis history. The 24-time Major winner is an all-round performer on the three most prevalent surfaces- hard-courts, grass and clay. While the Serb's win percentage on clay is less than that on hard and grass, he still has tasted a substantial amount of success on it.

In that context, Tennis Channel recently discussed Novak Djokovic's credentials on their live segment. Their host, Steve Weissman, would later repost the debate on his X (formerly Twitter) handle to give his opinion.

The American mentioned Rafael Nadal and Chris Evert as his "clay GOATs", before claiming the Serb was behind the duo in the pecking order.

"The clay GOATs are Rafa and @ChrissieEvert - but Novak is certainly one of the greatest after that..." Weissman wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Nadal and Evert both have astounding records on clay. The Spaniard has won a record 14 French Open titles, with a 97.4% (112-3) win percentage. He also holds at least ten triumphs at four different claycourt tournaments (Roland Garros, the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Barcelona Open and the Italian Open).

Evert, on her part, holds the Open era record for most consecutive wins on clay at 125, and a record 94% career win percentage on the dirt, which is a clear cut above Nadal's 91%. The American has also won a record 70 titles on the surface, seven of which came at the French Open. To this day, no woman singles player has won the clay-court Major more than her.

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A look at some of Novak Djokovic's most impressive feats on clay

Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the 2021 French Open

Novak Djokovic has also achieved many feats on clay that deserve to be lauded. The Serb is the only player to defeat Rafael Nadal twice at the French Open (2015, 2021).

With a win percentage of 85.2% at the clay-court Major (third-best in men's tennis history after Nadal and Borg), there is a good argument that the Serb would've won more than two titles at the claycourt Major if not for his Spanish rival. The 24-time Major winner met the latter ten times at the French Open, losing eight of their encounters.

Djokovic also has the second most ATP Masters 1000 titles on clay after Nadal, recording 11 triumphs at the level (two at Monte-Carlo, three at Madrid and six at Rome). The World No. 1's haul of six titles at the Italian Open, in particular, is second-best after Nadal's ten triumphs.