When it comes to picking the greatest male tennis player of all time it’s a debate that often divides opinion.
Andy Murray recently picked his greatest of all time and he’s now coaching the legendary figure Novak Djokovic who constantly gets names when discussing the best ever.
Two current ATP players, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov agree on the greatest of all time, with tennis fans, players and pundits all having an opinion on the subject.
The discussion is often focused on three players. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had one of the best rivalries the sport has ever seen, with Djokovic thrown into the mix for good measure.
Tim Henman chooses greatest male tennis player of all time
Henman came up against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic during his career, with limited success over the big three.
He never managed to defeat Nadal or Djokovic; losing twice to Nadal and during his only encounter against the 24-time Grand Slam champion, Djokovic.
Henman’s record against Federer was more respectable. He won six of the 13 matches they played but only one came after the Swiss superstar had won his maiden Grand Slam title.
Now, Henman has had his say on who the greatest ever is and he believes that it’s all about numbers.
He told TalkSPORT: “For me, it’s fairly straightforward that Djokovic is the greatest male player of all time.
“How do you judge that? I think it does become a numbers game, it’s who has won the most Grand Slams, who has had the most weeks at number one, who has won the most Masters 1000 – and it’s Djokovic.
“So for me, it’s a pretty straightforward conversation that Djokovic is the greatest male player of all time.”
Djokovic has probably overtaken Federer and Nadal in greatest ever race
Henman won’t have too many claims for greatest ever even if he can count himself unlucky not to have won at least one Grand Slam.
Henman wore his heart on his sleeve as Great Britain’s number one for many years but ultimately he fell short in his quest to win a major title.
When it comes to the greatest-ever debate, he’s probably right to suggest that Djokovic with his 24 Grand Slam wins is the best of all time ahead of Nadal and Federer.
Ultimately, it’s remarkable that he’s still competing at the top level of the game at 37-years-old and it would be fair to say that retirement doesn’t look close any time soon.
The Serbian legend appears hellbent on getting that 25th Grand Slam to his name and it remains to be seen whether 2025 is the year he gets that next title to his name.
