"Novak Djokovic is ahead of everyone else in all statistics"

Former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka considers Novak Djokovic to be the GOAT as far as statistics are concerned.

Wawrinka, a three-time Major winner, is currently competing in the Latin American claycourt swing. The Swiss had a respectable showing at last week's Argentina Open. He served for the match against the in-form World No. 19 Nicolas Jarry at 5-4 in the decider of their second-round clash, before succumbing to a hard-fought 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-7(5) loss.

The 38-year-old is playing at the ATP 500 tournament in Rio this week. He will open proceedings against the unseeded Facundo Diaz Acosta in the first round later on Tuesday (February 20).

While the former World No. 3 prepares to launch a comeback into the top rungs of men's tennis again this year, he sat down for a candid interview with Marca, taking on a rather popular topic of contention — the GOAT debate.

When asked whether Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer compare to Novak Djokovic despite having fewer Major titles than him, Stan Wawrinka replied:

"Djokovic is ahead of everyone else in all statistics."

He also expressed pride in his career achievements despite playing in the Big 3's era, saying:

"I'm not the one to say if it should be given more value, but I know how hard it was to win with Federer, Nadal and Djoko in the draws. I am very proud of everything I achieved."

During the interaction, Wawrinka was posed with a hypothetical scenario. It was whether he would have preferred a different era of tennis, provided it gave him more chances of picking up the big titles. He replied:

"I am happy to have been able to play against the best in history. Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic have been the best tennis players ever seen. It was a challenge to face them as well as a satisfaction."

Stan Wawrinka won overall 12 matches against Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

Stan Wawrinka is one of those players that offered plenty of resistance to the trio of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the 2010s. The Swiss' most memorable result against the Big 3 came at the 2014 Australian Open, where he beat Djokovic and Nadal to take home his maiden Major title.

Wawrinka's 2015 French Open triumph was almost as equally impressive. He beat his countryman Federer for the first time in a Grand Slam, before scoring an upset four-set win against Djokovic in the championship match.

The Swiss repeated the feat by downing Djokovic in the US Open final the following year, coming through in four sets again. With his triumph, he claimed only his fifth victory against the 24-time Major winner.

The 38-year-old, however, endured many tough losses against the trio as well; he trails Djokovic 6-21, Nadal 3-19 and Federer 3-23.