Bjorn Borg has worked with all three members of the ‘Big Three’ and has no doubts over who is the greatest player of all time out of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Bjorn Borg has shared his view on who he regards as the all-time best between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. The three legends have defined modern tennis, trading blows at the top of the game for two decades and splitting Grand Slam glory almost evenly.
Djokovic leads in trophies with 24 major titles – Nadal has 22 while Federer has 20 – but the question of who is the GOAT [greatest of all time] is still hotly debated. As someone who won 11 Slams himself, Borg is uniquely positioned to weigh in.
In a recent Sky Sports interview, the Swede gave his verdict, choosing Djokovic. He did, however, question whether the Serb, who is one major title away from surpassing Margaret Court as the most successful tennis player in history, can add to his historic haul.
“I think the way he’s playing, Djokovic, for me, is the greatest player to have ever played the game,” Borg said. “And then the second place comes to Federer and Nadal. They are tied for 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.
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“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 continues to thrive despite his age, but Borg’s career had a very different trajectory. He stunned the sports world when he retired at 26, largely due to burnout and the lack of personal freedom.
“I could never be by myself,” he said. “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.”
Back in Borg’s playing days, stars did not benefit from the large teams of coaches, trainers, and agents available now. When asked whether that might have prolonged his career, he admitted: “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.”
