Journalist Jon Wertheim recently revealed his tennis Mount Rushmore which included the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Serena Williams. For the unversed, Mount Rushmore is a popular sculpture featuring the heads of four famous presidents of America. Today, one often uses it as an analogy to name the four highest-regarded individuals, according to them, in any particular field.
Much like the GOAT debate, the tennis Mount Rushmore also has a plethora of answers among the fraternity. While a certain individual may take into account the number of Grand Slams won, another may look at the number of weeks as World No.1.
In a recent conversation with Sports Illustrated, popular tennis journalist Jon Wertheim was asked to reveal his tennis Mount Rushmore ahead of the sport’s return to South Dakota, where the sculpture is situated, in the form of MarketBeat Open, a Challenger event.
Firstly, Wertheim explained what the Mount Rushmore is and explained the analogy.
“Yes, pro tennis comes to the Mount Rushmore State. To our non-American audience—I’m trying to be better about this—South Dakota is home to Mount Rushmore, into which the busts of four towering American presidents have been chiseled. The structure was completed in 1941, but lately, it’s become voguish to provide your Mount Rushmore list of … whatever. Speed metal drummers. NFL quarterbacks. Sous chefs. Think of it as the new version of ‘Desert Island CDs.'”
He then said that he had a rather ‘boring’ list and then revealed his men’s list featuring the Big 3 – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, and Pete Sampras to round off the list.
“Anyway, I’m happy to play along but, alas, have a boring answer. Men: Novak Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras.”
On the women’s side, he put Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, and Chris Evert in his top four.
“Women: Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf.”
Wertheim later stated how other players could have a strong case for their inclusion in this list such as two-time Calendar Slam winner Rod Laver, 24-time Major champion Margaret Court, and the revolutionary Billie Jean King.
“We are open-minded. Maybe you make a case for homophobic Margaret Court simply based on majors. Maybe King gets bonus points for her off-court achievements. Maybe Rod Laver sneaks in (though at whose expense?) for the double Grand Slam. But I’m not sure picking tennis’s all-time top four lends itself to robust debate.”
“The numbers show Novak Djokovic is the best” – Rafael Nadal recently hailed his longtime rival for maintaining a ‘very high level’ over the years
Though their fans may indulge in raging GOAT debates, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have shown immense respect towards each other. They recently competed at the Six Kings Slam in their last ever encounter, after which, the Serb shared some beautiful words for the 38-year-old.
In a recent interview, the Spaniard hailed the 24-time Major champion as the best not only for his consistency but also for improving year after year.
“He’s (Djokovic’s) a player who has managed to maintain a very high level and improve every year. The numbers show he is the best, which means his tennis has also been the best. And he’s been the most injury-free, which allowed him to maintain his physical, mental and tennis levels longer than anyone. That’s why he’s the best, and he’s earned it,” Nadal told Spanish magazine AS.
However, fans of Djokovic didn’t take too kindly to the 22-time Major champion’s words as they felt that he was giving a backhanded compliment to his rival.
