Is Rafael Nadal the greatest tennis player ever?

Nadal's U.S. Open victory cemented his position as the best player in the world, and poured fuel on the "greatest of all time" debate

Rafael Nadal joined the tennis elite with his U.S. Open win.
(Image credit: Getty)

In Monday's rain-delayed U.S. Open final, Spain's Rafael Nadal overpowered Serbia's Novak Djokovic with a breathtaking display of shotmaking and fitness. With the victory, Nadal completed a "career Grand Slam," meaning he has won each of the four major tournaments — one of only seven players in tennis history to do so. Nadal's archrival, Roger Federer, often regarded as the best player of all time, lost in a semifinal, spoiling a much-anticipated Federer-Nadal final. But Nadal has dominated the Swiss champion in recent years and has an overall 14-7 record against him. Has he now surpassed Federer in the "greatest ever" argument? (Watch highlights from the championship match)

He's making a strong case: Rafael Nadal's 2010 "might be the best year any men's player has ever had," given that he "won majors on three different surfaces requiring three different styles," says Greg Couch at Aol's Fanhouse. "Nadal is playing better now than Federer ever played. In fact, he's playing the greatest tennis of all time."

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