Bjorn Borg has revealed who he believes is the greatest player of all time out of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The three players shared an epic rivalry at the peak of their powers, dominating Grand Slam tournaments over a period of two decades. Djokovic has won more than Federer and Nadal but the debate rages on about which of the trio can be considered the best.
Bjorg is well-placed to comment, having worked with all three players during his time as captain of Team Europe at the Laver Cup and winning 11 Grand Slams himself. He was asked to settle the debate in a recent interview with Sky Sports and wasted no time in nailing his colours to the mast. He chose Djokovic but expressed doubt over the Serb’s chances of adding to his Grand Slam tally.
“I think the way he’s playing, Djokovic, for me, is the greatest player to have ever played the game,” declared Borg. “And then the second place comes to Federer and Nadal. They are tied for the second place.
“It’s amazing how he [Djokovic] can play that kind of tennis at 38 years old. I’m very impressed. I know he wants to win that 25th Grand Slam tournament.
“I hope he’s going to play one more year, at least next year too, because the tennis he’s playing. It’s going to be tough with [Jannik] Sinner and [Carlos] Alcaraz and some other players too, but still, he can do it.”
Djokovic is still going strong at the age of 38 but Borg was unable to enjoy the same level of longevity. He walked away from tennis at 26 in a decision which stunned the sporting world, mainly due to a lack of motivation and privacy.
“I could never be by myself,” he explained. “I had room service all the time. If I went down to a restaurant or the hotel, there was people around. If I went to a restaurant in town, there was always 15 or 20 photographers outside.”
Borg played tennis in a very different era, when players did not have entire teams of support staff as they do in the modern day.
Asked if he would have continued for longer with that level of backing, the Swede replied: “That’s a good question. I think today, they have a big entourage. They have their teams, they have agents, they have so many people around them.
“Not only like when they play tennis, even when they come home. If I would have that kind of people around me, like you said, we were by ourselves. If we need to do something, we have to fix it by ourselves. No help at all whatsoever.
“If I had those people around me during that particular time, when I felt that I didn’t feel so good about my life with the tennis, I think maybe it would be completely different.
“I didn’t have those people. It could be a huge difference with me and maybe with all that kind of help like they have today, maybe I’ll continue to play tennis, yes.”
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