The debate about which player should be regarded as the greatest in history has generated numerous arguments but Tommy Robredo believes there are two clear candidates.
The 40-year-old Spaniard played on the Tour during the same time as the Big Three before retiring earlier this year. During his career he peaked at a ranking high of No.5 in the world and reached the last eight of a major on seven different occasions with five of those being at the French Open. He won a total of 12 Tour titles between 2001 and 2013.
Robredo has a negative head-to-head record against each member of the Big Three but did beat Novak Djokovic twice and Roger Federer once. The only player he didn’t beat on the Tour was Rafael Nadal who he says was the toughest player he faced.
“Rafa [was the toughest to play against], for the way he plays, with this speed of the ball, the spin of his forehand, for the difference due to him being left-handed and for the way that he runs after every ball as if it was the first,” Robredo said during an interview with Sportskeeda.
“I don’t say the others are easy.. but for me Rafa had something that makes you suffer more inside the court than the rest,” he added.
The Big Three have largely dominated the men’s Tour for more than a decade. Between them they have won 63 major titles and have spent more than 900 weeks as world No.1. Since 2005 the only other players to top the rankings are Andy Murray and current world No.1 Daniil Medvedev.
Each of the trio have their own unique records on the Tour but who is the best of all time in Robredo’s view?
“Right now, I would say it’s close between Rafa and Novak,” he said. “It depends if we say Grand Slams are the most important or also consider how important Davis Cup, weeks at No 1, and other factors are. It’s very difficult to say at the moment.”
Federer is currently sidelined from the Tour due to a knee injury but is set to begin his comeback at the Laver Cup in September. The Swiss Maestro, who is the oldest member of the Big Three, will turn 41 next month.
As for the future stars of the sport, many are tipping Carlos Alcaraz to reached the very top of the men’s game. This week the 19-year-old became the youngest player to crack the top five since Nadal did so in 2005. He has already won five Tour titles, including two Masters 1000 events this year. Against top 10 opposition he has a winning record of 8-3 this season.
“Carlos is a great player, talented, with a great team, and with huge expectations. Time will tell, but obviously, if everything goes well, he can be someone who dominates the sport for many years,” Robredo commented.
“But there are a lot of things that are not 100% certain such as health, other great players in the same generation, how he will manage and cope with the pressure. But I do think he has what it takes to be one of the best.”
Robredo has confirmed that he would like to stay involved in tennis in the future.
