'I faced Federer, Nadal and Djokovic - only one has real talent and class'

For years, the tennis world has debated whether Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Novak Djokovic is a better player. Djokovic came from behind to cement himself as the undisputed GOAT where the stats are concerned - he has 24 Grand Slam titles, he's won every Masters 1000 tournament multiple times, and he's spent a staggering 428 weeks at No. 1 in the world.

But when it comes to on-court prowess, some of the Big Three's old rivals have their own opinions. And according to former world No. 15 Juan Ignacio Chela, one player stood out as the greatest, thanks to his "talent and class".

Chela had a losing record against all three former world No. 1s. He finished 0-2 against Djokovic, 0-6 against Federer, and 1-4 against Nadal, with his sole win coming at the 2004 Cincinnati Open, when he took the match in a final set tiebreak.

Although all three spent years at the top of the game winning the biggest titles and making life tough for the rest of the field, the Argentine thought Federer was the toughest to beat.

"Roger's performance was impressive. For me... the thing is that they surpassed him in numbers, but for me, he's the greatest," he told La Nacion.

"On top of that, I experienced it firsthand: I'd go into the game and... I mean, I beat Rafa once, [Andy] Murray too, but not Nole, but I had match point. I only won a set against Roger once in Miami, but I couldn't stay on the court.

"I was a player who needed rhythm, I needed to get to the sixth or eighth ball, but I couldn't do it with Roger. He'd take me off the baseline, he'd make a great serve, he'd hit a drop shot, he'd come at me on a return, or he'd take time with his forehand and then he'd take me off the court.

"Besides, if you ask me to tell ChatGPT to make me the ideal tennis player, I think it makes Roger. Then the others (Djokovic and Nadal) surpassed him in numbers, with other characteristics, but I think no one else has Federer's ease, talent and class."

However, the numbers don't lie, and Chela knew that Djokovic's greatness couldn't be denied. The six-time tour title winner added: "Yeah, he's the greatest. In numbers... It's like they're three superheroes with different powers.

"In my time, [Pete] Sampras had won 14 Grand Slams, and it seemed impossible for anyone to catch him. And other legends had, I don't know, eight, nine, six, seven Grand Slams. These guys passed 20. It's crazy."

Chela reached three Grand Slam quarter-finals, twice at the French Open in 2004 and 2011, and once at the US Open in 2007. He never faced Federer, Nadal or Djokovic at the Majors, but they had enough meetings at Masters 1000 events and in finals.