@MikeOne ,
@Nadalfan2013 is a Rafa fanboy troll, and will
never be convinced, no matter how logical and airtight an argument is. The best I can say about them is that their trolling has become a bit more humorous - whereas a year or two ago it was just obnoxious blabbing, now there's a bit of satire in there, as if they're actually making fun of themself and the caricature of blind fanboyism that they present. But I don't think that's actually their intention, and more that they just like to troll.
As for "Nole = GOAT," I think the argument for him
not being the first among the Big Three is getting harder and harder to make. In truth, I don't think there's an argument. Regardless of how one would rate Rafa vs. Roger, Novak has the edge over both - and this will become even more clear over the next year or two as he approaches and perhaps reaches 25 Slams, surpasses 400 weeks at #1, 40-45+ Masters, 100+ titles, etc.
But I do think Rod Laver deserves consideration, or at least a nod, that his level in the 60s and early 70s--relative to the competition--was possibly even higher than Novak's. Certainly, Jeff Sackmann of Tennis Abstract says so, and claims to have the Elo data to support that. At the least, though, I think we can say with some degree of certainty that Novak is the clear Open Era GOAT. Rafa will likely always have the sole claim to "Surface GOAT" (and Clay GOAT), and Roger gets marks for his dominance over his own generation ("Generation GOAT?"), but in terms of
overall and historic dominance - at least during the Open Era - Novak gets the title.
A few years from now, when most tennis fans have moved on from Big Three obsession, I can imagine a few hold-out diehard fanboys of Rafa and Roger, still squabbling over who was greater, while diehard Novak fanboys will just chuckle amusedly. And the rest of us--those who love tennis first and foremost--will be focused on the new field, with interesting rivalries like Rune vs. Alcaraz, and who the next challenger will be...
The point being, while I'm glad to have witnessed the Age of the Big Three, I'm also glad to see it end - and I really hope the "Great Debate" doesn't continue on too long...especially now that it is clear that one player has edged forward above the other two.
- but Novak is a great champion and we’re blessed that 2 of the big 3 are still rising to the occasion. We’ll miss them all when they’re gone…
