Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have been discussed by Toni Nadal.

Because Novak Djokovic is “willing to pay the highest price to be the best,” Toni Nadal believes he is the greatest tennis player of all time, surpassing even his nephew Rafael Nadal.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic “all wanted to be the best in history,” according to the renowned tennis instructor, who also cited the Serbian’s diet as evidence of his unparalleled commitment.

In terms of men’s all-time Grand Slam victories, Djokovic leads with 24, while Nadal and Federer come in second and third with 22 and 20, respectively.

In addition to owning the records for the most weeks ranked No.. 1 in the world, ATP year-end No. 1 finishes, Masters 1000 wins, and ATP Finals victories, the 36-year-old legend is also undefeated against his two biggest opponents.

Between 2006 and 2022, Djokovic and Nadal engaged in a record-tying 59 men’s Open Era matches. Djokovic prevailed 30-29 in these encounters, while the Serbian defeated Federer in 27 of the 50 matches they played between 2006 and the Swiss player’s retirement in 2020.

The world number one, who had an amazing 2023 campaign in which he won three of the four majors, appears far from done and has the potential to leave an even greater legacy if he achieves even more extraordinary feats.

May 8–19, 2024, is when Djokovic and Nadal will be competing at the Italian Open. The renowned duo may square off for the seventh time in a Rome championship match at the ATP Masters 1000 event because they are on different sides of the draw.

READ MORE: Rafael Nadal finds out his fate while Novak Djokovic is handed a difficult path in the ATP Italian Open draw

The 38-year-old Rafael Nadal has stated that 2024 will probably be the last year of his remarkable career, though he has not provided a specific date. After recovering from an injury sustained at the Barcelona Open in April, the Spaniard advanced to the Madrid Open’s fourth round last week.

Rafael Nadal had 16 Grand Slam victories under Toni Nadal’s tutelage from childhood till 2017. Toni Nadal said that there is a significant distinction between Djokovic and his nephew.

“I believe Djokovic has always aspired to be the greatest player in history. Rafael always lived a typical life, played tennis, and ate a typical diet. “He did this and that (translate from Spanish) and played football,” the 63-year-old Spaniard stated in a recent interview.

“At first, I got used to it because I believed it would benefit him during his formative years. Our manager once informed us that we weren’t acting very professionally, I seem to recall.

“I told Rafael when he was younger that I didn’t want him to become overly professional. Rafael should have been able to live a regular life in addition to giving his all on the court. since I don’t think it really matters.

It’s not the same when you’re at the top. For instance, like Rafael and Federer, Djokovic has made significant dietary changes, although my opinion is slightly different.

All three players—federer, Nadal, and Djokovic—wanted to be the greatest in history, regardless of who was better or worse. Who is willing to pay the greatest price to be the best, however, is the more important question than who merely wants to be the best.