Rafael Nadal Will Beat Roger Federer As Greatest of All Time, Says Boris Becker

Tennis legend Boris Becker believes Rafael Nadal will eventually surpass the Grand Slam record set by Roger Federer and go on to claim the title as the greatest tennis player of all time.

In an interview with sports.ndtv.com, Becker said he never thought that Nadal would rack up more than 17 Grand Slam titles in his career few years back. However, with the kind of play he produced upon his return from a seven-month injury layoff, Becker is confident that Nadal can pull it off.

 "If you'd asked me that a few years ago, I'd have said no. But this year he (Nadal) has returned to his top form and now has 13 titles to his credit," Becker said. "He's 27 and doesn't intend to stop there. He's capable of getting more"

Becker, who bagged six Grand Slam titles throughout his tennis career, called Nadal's sensational comeback from a knee injury a miracle.

"Nadal is a great competitor. After all that happened to him last season (a long lay-off with a left knee injury) to return and have the success he's had this year in becoming world number one again is almost a miracle," said Becker, who is a five-time indoor champion and three-time Paris Master titlist.

Becker is just the latest tennis legend to comment about Nadal's chance to become the best tennis player in history. Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras also believed that Nadal has the capability to capture more Grand Slam titles than anyone in the history of tennis.

"Nadal has an argument to make for the best of all time," Agassi told HuffPost Live. "If Nadal is sitting at a table with Federer and Federer says, 'I'm the best ever,' my first question would be, 'Well, then how come you didn't beat me, because I beat you twice as many times? And, hey, by the way, you know I won everything, including a gold medal [in singles at the Olympics] and Davis Cup.'  

"I just think that Roger was so consistent and so good for so long," Sampras told Sports Illustrated. "But with Rafa, he's sure to pass me on the list of most Grand Slam titles, and the question is whether he can take it further and go for that record."