Who is the greatest tennis player of all time?

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer together in 2013. (Getty)

The greatest tennis player of all time is a complicated question with a complicated answer. Many current players have been asked this question, and the three main names that come up in discussion are Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. The player who has the most Grand Slam titles currently remains Novak Djokovic, and it's unclear how much longer he'll be able to compete at such a high level. However, the player with the best head-to-head record against him, Rafa, seems unlikely to surpass Novak’s numbers before his career is all said and done. It seems like we'll just have to wait a few more years or so until Nadal and eventually Djokovic retires from tennis before we can declare one man as superior to another. Until then, we must look at each candidate individually.

To determine who is the greatest tennis player, we have to look at more than just numbers. Numbers are important, but they can't be the only thing that determines greatness.

Injuries are an unavoidable part of sports. The most common injuries in tennis are wrist and shoulder injuries, which occur more often than other sports due to the constant jarring action of the ground strokes and overhead swings. In fact, it's not uncommon for a professional player to have multiple surgeries during their career—but they still keep playing! These athletes have been known to play through pain and discomfort because of their dedication and love for the sport.

All three players, Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic have experienced career damaging injuries as their missed time on court has stolen possible opportunities to add to their already incredible legacies.

But when it comes to Grand Slam titles, no one can hold a candle to Novak Djokovic. He has a whopping 24 major championships under his belt, having won multiple times at each of the main events.

Nadal's dominance is all the more impressive considering that he’s been playing in an era with some of the greatest players ever: Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are two of them. Despite being just 37 years old (and still going strong!), Nadal's 14 French Opens is more than any other man has ever won in any single major title. It's no surprise that Nadal holds the record for most French Open titles; he is widely considered one of the best clay court players ever. He is also one of three players who have won all four majors twice—the other two being Rod Laver and Novak Djokovic.

Wimbledon has a long history of great champions, and Federer owns the most Wimbledon titles in men's singles history. He also holds the record for total number of Wimbledon titles (eight).

When you take into account the head-to-head records of Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal, Djokovic has a better record against both men. He's won 27 matches against Federer while Federer has won 23 matches against him; he's also won 30 matches against Nadal while Nadal has won 29 times. However, Nadal leads the H2H against Djokovic in majors 11-7. Additionally, Nadal leads his head-to-head record against Federer with an astonishing 24 wins to Federer's 16.

It's tough to come to any concrete conclusion about who is better than whom here. Federer and Nadal have both been dominant in their own ways, but the rivalry between them was so compelling that it quickly became a part of tennis lore. On the other hand, Djokovic has had the most success after Nadal's prime, but there were years when he wasn't even competitive with Federer or Nadal.

Greatness is a complicated concept, and it's hard to find a universal definition of the word. It can mean different things to different people—and even more so when you're talking about the greatest tennis player of all time. However, in my eyes, Rafael Nadal remains the GOAT of tennis.