Former WTA No. 1 Maria Sharapova has said it is unfair to compare reigning men’s French Open champion Rafael Nadal with Swiss superstar Roger Federer.
Sharapova breezed through the third round of the French Open, recording an easy win over Karolina Pliskova on Court Philippe Chatrier on Saturday. Nadal almost immediately replicated the Russian’s success, booking his place in the last 16 with a clinical performance against Frenchman Richard Gasquet later in the afternoon.
Nadal, who is the overwhelming favorite to claim a record extending 11th Roland Garros title, is behind Federer in the Grand Slam count. While Nadal has 16 Majors, Federer won his 20th Slam at the Australian Open in January. However, a title in the French capital would bring down that gap to just three Grand Slam titles.
Although Sharapova has backed Nadal as the greatest player of all time, she said it would be unfair to compare the two legends based merely on statistics.
“I don’t know if, when you’re that successful, if it’s even fair to measure them in numbers, because you don’t want to take anything away from somebody else that’s achieved maybe just as much or maybe even more or a little bit less,” Sharapova said.
“I think it’s pretty remarkable what he’s done in his career.
“I think when you get to a certain point, you know, those numbers, I mean, there are a lot of people that can be considered greatest of all time, right?
“Yeah, I have a lot of admiration for him. I have always – I have loved the spirit that he carries on with, you know, the focus.”
“You know, it goes back to kind of the fire question. I think he only knows how to go at 100 percent,” she added.
“If you look at the practice schedule he’s out there for – he won two events, and in Rome, he’s practicing for three hours a day, he knows that that’s what works for him and he’s going to deliver that no matter his age, no matter the injuries, he shows up.
“That’s incredibly admirable, because the older you get in this sport, the more physical it is, tougher it is on the body. We know that.
“So, yeah, of course I admire not just him but there are many players that I admire on that level.”
