Novak Djokovic listed his top five players (Image: Getty)
Tennis legend Novak Djokovic placed Rafael Nadal above Roger Federer in a blind ranking challenge. The three rivals are the only players in men’s tennis history to each claim 20 major titles. Federer finished on 20 in September 2022, Nadal, who called time on his career in November 2024, notched up 22, and Djokovic has 24 and counting with the 39-year-old still active on the court.
Ahead of the 2025 Miami Open, the Serbian was asked by DAZN to blind-rank five players. The goal was for Djokovic to assign them a spot in the top five without knowing which name would come next. The first name out of the hat was Pete Sampras, who he ranked third. Up next came Nadal, with the Spanish hero placed top. Djokovic then put Andre Agassi at fourth, Federer second and Andy Murray fifth.
The greatest-of-all-time debate rages on to this day, with many still divided over the careers and accolades of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. Several stars have had their say over the years on how they would rank them.
Former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic has claimed Djokovic presented a more formidable challenge. “When you played with Roger, you knew what you had to do, but there were a lot of moments where it wasn’t up to you. This guy could make you look very, very bad,” Raonic told the Changeover podcast.
“With Rafa, it wasn’t obvious whether you had the opportunity to win the match. Before you stepped on the court, you knew you were going to give it your all because he would be there until the last point.
“And then the unique thing with Novak was like, even watching other players play him a lot, you get in the rallies, you do all these things right, Novak does this thing where he plays down the middle a lot more than everybody else, but then just takes away angles from you.”
Tennis icon Bjorn Borg says Djokovic is the greatest of all time. The 11-time Grand Slam winner said: “I think the way he’s playing, Djokovic, for me, is the greatest player to have ever played the game. And then the second place comes to Federer and Nadal.
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Tim Henman has his own pick for the best player out of tennis’ holy trinity. The Brit is a former world No. 4 who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals on four separate occasions.
“In third place I would go for Roger Federer,” Henman said. “Winner of 20 Grand Slam titles, eight Wimbledons, played so well on every surface, just how easy he made the game look with his footwork, but also his technique. That one-handed backhand was always a pleasure to watch.”
Djokovic, Federer and Nadal are three of the best players of all time (Image: Getty)
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Nadal was given second place by Henman, who can’t see the Spaniard’s stunning Roland Garros record ever being topped. He added: “In second place I would go Rafa Nadal.
“He won 22 Grand Slams, 14 French Opens. We often talk about records are there to be broken, but I’m convinced that 14 singles titles at Roland Garros will never be broken.”
He concluded: “Greatest male player of all time is Novak Djokovic. What he’s done, winning every Grand Slam a minimum three times. He’s won 24 majors, going for his 25th here in Roland Garros. He’s the best player that I’ve ever seen.”