Arthur Fils clear on Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic debate
The question of who is the greatest male tennis player of all time is a hot topic, and while Novak Djokovic is out in front in terms of Grand Slam titles, Arthur Fils sides differently
Arthur Fils has firmly planted his flag in the ongoing debate over who reigns supreme among tennis legends Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The trio, often referred to as the sport's 'big three', have been at the pinnacle of men's tennis for nearly two decades, with only Djokovic, aged 37, still competing at the highest level.
Federer hung up his racket in 2022 with a tally of 20 Grand Slam titles. Meanwhile, Nadal retired at the end of last year with 22 Grand Slams under his belt after grappling with injuries.
Djokovic leads the pack with 24 Grand Slam victories, yet this doesn't settle the debate on who is the greatest.
World No. 14 Fils has declared that, in his view, the suave Swiss maestro Federer is the top male player of their time. Sidelined from the French Open due to a back injury, Fils was quizzed by Prime Video Sport France to rank players:
Question: Roger or Rafa? Answer: "Roger. I love Roger."
Fils had to bow out of the competition following an exhilarating five-set win against Jaume Munar in the second round, explaining: "I had some issue with the back since a long time and during the match against Munar it [got] worse.
"[I] got some stress fracture. What we decide with the team it was better to stop now, because if I'm stopping now, I could stop for only four to six weeks.
"If I was pushing myself too much, I would probably stop for a couple of months. This is not what we are trying to do, so [we] had to make a choice."
As for Djokovic, the Serbian ace is in prime position to clinch his 25th Grand Slam title after he dispatched British hopeful Cameron Norrie in straight sets during the fourth round at Roland Garros, marking his 100th career victory at the French Open, reports the Express.
"Considering my opponent's form and the occasion, I think it was a very good match from my side, a very solid performance," Djokovic said.
"A straight-sets win again. I'm pleased with the way things are going. Obviously matches only get tougher. I look forward to the next challenge."
In the quarter-finals, Djokovic is set to take on German third seed Alexander Zverev, who progressed after Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands had to retire due to injury in the second set of their match.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Live
6 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Live
Jamie Oliver says there's one ingredient you should use to cook the best steak
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, famed as The Naked Chef and face of Channel 4 cookery shows, has spilled the beans on crafting the ultimate steak. If you're looking to woo your significant other with a steak dinner at home, Jamie insists there's no need to douse your sirloin in pricey cooking oils or unhealthy fats. In a tutorial on his YouTube channel, Jamie shared his tip for achieving 'delicious, melt in your mouth' sirloin using nothing but the steak's own fat. Dispensing with the need for additional oil, Jamie advises trimming the steak's fat, dicing it finely, and letting it supply its natural essence. READ MORE - Man who knew Madeleine McCann suspect makes dramatic plea to police during search READ MORE - Scottish Love Island star Laura Anderson opens up on 'health struggle' on holiday The culinary maestro said: "We're gonna cook a beautiful steak for date night, steak night." Describing his method, Jamie expressed: "It's really quick, it's really delicious, I wanna share with you a brilliant technique for making the perfect sirloin steak, tender, melt in your mouth, cut like butter.", reports the Express. He began by prepping a non-stick skillet on medium flame, then tackled the beef sirloin. Jamie proposed: "What I would suggest to do is pull this fat off, and this fat is really really important, it's going to give you the flavour. "But what we don't want is that sinew. That really tough bit that you kind of push to the side. "It's a real pain. "So what I love to do is slice [the fat] up into little chunks, and render it down. So instead of putting butter or oil in this pan, we're going to cook the steak in the steak fat. "Then get the knife and cut off the piece of sinew. Get rid of that." He then said you fry the cut up fat, add cloves of garlic, which will flavour the fat. Then season the steak with black pepper and sea salt, and pat it in. He added: "What I'm doing is one thicker steak for two people, and cook it medium rare." Before adding the steak to the pan, throw in some spring onions, and slice open two red chillis, taking care to remove the seeds first so it's not too spicy. Once that's sizzled for a while, take it all out of the pan, and put the steak in. The pan will already have natural beef juices in from the fat. Jamie added: "When pan-frying a steak, do it a minute on each side until it's cooked to your liking. "Whether it's well done, medium, medium rare, rare, whatever you like. For me medium rare is what I'm after, about three minutes on each side." When you take it out, place it on top of the spring onions and chillis you removed earlier. For those feeling really daring, you can also blend up a sauce using the rest of your chillis, spring onions and add jarred peppers, and serve the steak sliced up on top, Jamie added.
The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
Carlos Alcaraz vs Lorenzo Musetti start time: When is French Open semi-final?
Carlos Alcaraz looks to return to the French Open final when he faces Italy's Lorenzo Musetti at Roland Garros. Defending champion Alcaraz increased his winning run at the tournament to 12 matches with the 'perfect' performance against Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals. The 22-year-old Spaniard won his first French Open title when he defeated Alexander Zverev and a blockbuster could await with Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic on the other side of the draw. Musetti, the eighth seed, will be the underdog as he looks to reach his first grand slam final. The 23-year-old had a brush with some controversy during his quarter-final win over Frances Tiafoe after kicking a ball at a line judge. This will be the third time Alcaraz and Musetti have met on the clay this season, with Alcaraz winning the Monte Carlo final and beating the Italian in the Rome semi-finals. Here's everything you need to know When is Carlos Alcaraz vs Lorenzo Musetti? The match will be the first men's semi-final on Friday 6 June and will start after 1:30pm BST (2:30pm local time). French Open order of play - Friday 6 June Court Philippe-Chatrier From 1:30pm BST [2] Carlos Alcaraz vs Lorenzo Musetti [8] Not before 6pm BST [1] Jannik Sinner vs Novak Djokovic [6] What happened in the quarter-finals? Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul 6-0 6-1 6-4 in just 94 minutes to return to the French Open semi-finals for the third year in a row and described how it felt to play the 'perfect' tennis match by saying: 'I could close my eyes and everything went in'. Almost half of the total points won by Alcaraz were winners, with the Spaniard hitting 40 across the straight-sets win in what was his best display of the tournament so far. He was interviewed by three-time French Open champion Mats Wilander, who asked Alcaraz how it felt to play the 'perfect' match at Roland Garros. 'I could close my eyes and everything went in. My feeling today was unbelievable,' Alcaraz told the crowd. Lorenzo Musetti admitted he was 'scared' of being disqualified from the French Open after accidentally kicking a ball at a line judge during this quarter-final win over Frances Tiafoe. The Italian progressed to his first Roland Garros semi-final after beating Tiafoe in four sets. But the eighth seed had a fortunate escape and risked being defaulted from the tournament after he struck a line judge by volleying the ball with his foot. Speaking after the match, Tiafoe said the lack of punishment for Musetti was 'comical' and the Italian admitted he was 'scared' of potentially being thrown out of the tournament. Carlos Alcaraz vs Lorenzo Musetti head-to-head 2025: Italian Open, semi-final, outdoor clay - Alcaraz wins in two sets 2025: Monte Carlo, final, outdoor clay - Alcaraz wins in three sets 2024: Miami, round of 16, outdoor hard - Alcaraz wins in two sets 2024: Beijing, round of 16, outdoor hard - Alcaraz wins in two sets. 2023: French Open, round of 16, outdoor clay, Alcaraz wins in three sets
Daily Record
19 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Honest Rory McIlroy slaughters golf sheep and makes worrying admission over motivation
Grand Slam superstar confession over drive after Masters win Honest Rory McIlroy admits top golf stars are like sheep as he confessed struggles for motivation after his Masters high. The Northern Irish superstar is back after a fortnight off for the RDC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto having sidestepped golf since his chaotic PGA Championship. McIlroy was left fuming at the fact a leak revealed his driver had been non-conforming, but the bigger concern for his ardent fans during his pre-tournament speech at Caldeon was around the fact he's toiled during the break to feel a drive within his practice. Having won a career Grand Slam and fulfilled his lifetime goals, the push for the next target is going to be a tough one as he said: 'The last few weeks I've had a couple weeks off and grinding on the range for three or four hours every day is maybe a little tougher than it used to be. You have this event in your life that you've worked towards and it happens, sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to get back on the horse and go again. 'I think the last two weeks have been good for me just as a reset, just to sort of figure out where I'm at in my own head, what I want to do, where I want to play. I thought it was a good time to reset some goals. I've had a pretty good first half of the season and I want to have a good second half of the season now, too.' McIlroy has headed to Canada the week before the US Open at Oakmont with a clear focus on competing in National Opens through the year. The field is Toronto is strong and, asked for his reasoning on that, he opined: 'I think a lot of the European guys like to play the week before a major, I think there's that part of it. Look we play so much in the States anyway and, you come here, it feels a little different, but you're not that far away. 'I think when the tournament has been a little closer to the city and we've been able to stay in Toronto, it feels a little more I won't say European, but you know cosmopolitan and maybe different from what we do week in week out. But I think for the most part it's become a very very good tournament and I think because of that and you see you guys playing each and every year I think the field then starts to become stronger because you know you see your peers do something and we're we're all like sort of sheep out here, like once one person does something we all sort of try to do the same thing 'So I just think this tournament has grown from strength to strength over these last few years and that's a lot to do with Golf Canada and RBC and everyone behind it and they should be really proud of what they've done.'
