Mats Wilander believes there is no topping Roger Federer as the best tennis player to ever surface the earth, but the 52-year-old Swede tipped Rafael Nadal as the most competitive.
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Wilander opened about the most charismatic tennis player he has ever met during a Senior Tour event in Marbella, Spain. The former world No. 1, who won seven Grand Slam singles titles, described Federer as the "best player ever" due to the Swiss Maestro's personality on-and-off the court.
"John (McEnroe) obviously, but there have been several ones. Also Roger Federer, because he is the best player ever, for how he behaves on and off-court," Wilander said, reports Tennis World USA.
Wilander, who participated in an exhibition match at the official opening of the Rafael Nadal Academy, also talked about Nadal's chances of winning another major title. Wilander insisted that fans have yet to see the end of Nadal competing for another major title, although the Mallorca has not won a Grand Slam since winning Roland Garros in 2014.
"Absolutely Nope," Wilander said when asked if Nadal is at the end of his career. "It depends on himself, many players stop when they do not win anymore. It happened to me as well, but many people suddenly come back to win and are unstoppable."
Federer is currently on the sidelines recuperating after re-injuring his surgically-repaired left knee at Wimbledon. His latest setback forced the 17-time Grand Slam winner to skip the Olympic Games in Rio and the US Open. Federer is expected to return competing next year and targets a comeback at the Australian Open.
Meanwhile, Nadal have a handful of tournaments remaining in his calendar schedule, starting at the China Open on Oct. 3. Nadal, who recently helped Spain win at the Davis Cup world group playoffs against India, is also set to compete at the Shanghai Rolex Masters before participating at the Swiss Indoors in Basel and BNP Paribas Open in Paris.
Nadal's next four tournaments will be crucial for the 14-time Grand Slam winner's bid to play at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London later this year. Nadal currently sits at eighth place in the Emirates ATP Race to London rankings and is 700 points ahead of ninth placer Tomas Berdych.