American tennis great John McEnroe has pleaded with world number one Rafael Nadal to drop his modesty and admit that he may just be the greatest player of all time. Nadal begins the defence of his Wimbledon title on Monday, just two weeks after capturing a record-equalling sixth French Open crown which took his Grand Slam tally to 10, just six behind Roger Federer’s all-time mark. But the Spaniard has constantly played down his chances of catching his great Swiss rival despite being almost five years younger, a stance that is beginning to irritate former Wimbledon champion McEnroe. “I’m getting a little bit tired of him continuing to downplay his chances,” McEnroe told the BBC. “There is definitely an argument for him not only being the best player at the moment, but the greatest of all time. “Rafa has won things like the Davis Cup and an Olympic gold medal (in singles) that Roger Federer hasn’t, and he is right on his tail in terms of Grand Slam titles too – so why can’t he just say ‘look, I’m the best’.”
