Nadal, Federer, Djokovic. Who will eventually finish their career with the most grand slams?

Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Three absolute icons and the best players in tennis history. Whoever your favourite is, you have to appreciate the amazing performances and longevity of the trio. But who will finish their careers on top?

The first great to take the stage was Swiss elegance Roger Federer, who is also the oldest of the three. He was soon rivaled by Rafael Nadal and for several years we saw some amazing battles between the two rivals, but good friends in civilian life.

Later, Novak Djokovic, who is the youngest of the three, joined in. As you can see in the following graphic, Federer first ruled the Grand Slam count, then Nadal started to catch up. When injuries started to hamper the careers of the first two greats in their final years, Djokovic caught up. And now in Australia, the Spanish tennis player has risen to the top for the first time.

And that may not be the end, because he certainly knows which Grand Slam follows. Yes, the French Open on clay, a tournament promised to all Spaniards and especially Nadal. The native of Mallorca has dominated it 13 times, with only four defeats in Paris, and he has been competing in France since 2005. If he is healthy, he is likely to add another title to his collection.

At that point he would have 22 titles and a rather nice lead. He has won Wimbledon twice in his career, the US Open four times.

So he’ll probably be competing for the historic championship with Djokovic. The latter is the youngest of all (34), unlike the iconic duo he has no health problems, his body is in perfect condition. He can be expected to compete on the circuit for a few more years.

If Nadal’s health problems end his career and he doesn’t add more grand slams to his collection, quite possibly the Serb will skip him. It’s just not certain, because Djokovic has already had the opportunity to take the lead. It’s just that last year at the US Open he got in over his head, wanted it too much and eventually fell in the final 0:3 to Medvedev.

Federer’s chances of finishing on top are rather slim at the moment. The 40-year-old tennis player is coming off a knee surgery and will surely miss the French Open, if everything goes above plan, with luck he could recover for Wimbledon. But there is little talk of adding Grand Slam titles at the moment.

It looks like a Spanish-Serbian duel. Nadal has the upper hand, plus he has the beloved Rolland Garros on the horizon. But if the current world number one returns to his former form, he could return to the top.

Competition from young, predatory tennis players could also shake up the rankings. But so far, it looks like even they are still not enough for the tennis legends. The only one who can match them so far is Medvedev, who has reached the final of the last two Grand Slams, beating Djokovic and coming up short against Nadal. But if Zverev, Berrettini, Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov, Alcaraz or Tsitsipas make progress, it could be an interesting spectacle.

Source: Twitter