When did it became clear that Federer was a possible GOAT?
 

Was it after he demolished Hewitt?

US Open 2006.

9th Grand slam.

Here's McEnroe saying it (at the end of the point linked below) a couple of matches before the Hewitt demolition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qJiL...tailpage#t=90s

Yeah definitely in his second year of winning majors. After the way he finished 2004, with the 3 majors including the hewitt demolition in new york and the WTF win in Houston, the talk really started to pick up.

And the start of the Federer vs. Sampras discussion began to heat up.

I thought he was the best player I ever saw at Wimby in 2003. I couldn't tell if he would be consistent after that, but to me it was clear that he had reached the highest level of play ever in that tournament: crazy spin on both wings, which made his groundies both powerful and consistent, superb movement, great defense, great offense.

No, it was earlier than that. People were talking about the possibility after his first Major, Wimbledon 2003, on account of his semi-final performance alone. I myself thought this was the best player I had ever seen, despite having seen him many times before and not felt that.

Seeing a few of his rounds in the 2004 Australian Open convinced me finally the he was indeed the best player I had ever seen and was no fluke. The high and consistent level of his technical ability I had never seen before. At that stage I thought he would win more Majors than Sampras.

"Possible" and "could" makes me think 2004 was the year it became clear he could, possibly, be the GOAT. After he won the USO.

By late 2005 there was already certainty. All the fans knew it but the commentators were being P.C. and didn't want to upset retired players. But as I recall, by late 2005 everyone online and everywhere else recognized the skills.

Possibly also after this happened

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32jSQjovMOQ&t=6m25s

I think I remember something said like this already after the 2003 masters cup in houston where he demolished agassi in the final.

I remember Mcenroe anointing Federer as possibly being the next tennis phenomenon to break through the existing parity in tennis around the beginning of the 2003 USO. This was during the prelude to Sampras' retirement ceremony at the USO and there was discussion of who could possibly replace Sampras as the dominant force in tennis.

His court coverage in the 9:10 point is amazing. And I miss the fast courts from back then, so much more exciting.

Samprastards must've had it hard after the AO2007 :)

You liars. After 2003 Wimbly, I and everyone else thought "this guy is good, he will win multiple majors maybe as many as Agassi or Borg" NOBODY was expecting him to become goat in 2003, get over yourselves.

2007 AO possibly. It looked like he would convincingly win 15 majors by AO2009 at that point. He didn't, because Nadal pushed him, but he eventually got over that hump anyway.

I thought I'd try and dig up some objective evidence, since that's a lot more reliable than TT posters' recollections. What I found definitely points to the second half of 2004, especially in the run-up to, and immediately after, the US Open. That's when the "could he?" questions relating to Sampras' 14 slams started coming thick and fast:

"Over the last 10 months, his display of shot-making, movement, determination and poise has pundits pegging him as a threat to break Pete Sampras' record of 14 majors."
Douglas Robson, USA Today, September 10, 2004

"A scarce 13 months after his first Slam title, the 22-year-old from Switzerland has sparked the 'best ever' conversation."
Neil Schmidt, Cincinnati Enquirer, August 3, 2004

"After winning his third Grand Slam title of the year, Federer evokes talk of possibly being the greatest player of all time." / "It’s tempting, after watching so thorough a thrashing — the first with two shutout sets in the U.S. men’s championship match since 1884 — to wonder if the self-coached, 23-year-old Swiss might be on his way to becoming the greatest player in history." / "Is Pete Sampras’ record 14 major titles safe?"
Steve Wilstein, MSNBC Sports, September 20, 2004

"Not too early to ask if he is on a trajectory to eclipse the game's best players. Pete Sampras, to whom Federer is often compared, holds the men's record, with 14 Grand Slam singles titles."
Greg Garber, ESPN, September 13, 2004

"He may go down in history – he's getting there – as the greatest player who's ever played."
John McEnroe, quoted on September 12, 2004


Regards,
MDL

Well by 2005 we basically expected him to break all the records, the level of play was insane, so it's definitely earlier than that....the footage posted at 2004 US Open McEnroe already spiting that Fed could be the best ever speaks volumes

Federer was being called the new Sampras before he even beat him at Wimbledon. The racquet, the one handed backhand and being sponsored by Nike accentuated the comparison.

However, it was at 2004 Australian Open when people start to think he could be the GOAT. It was ridiculously early. He only had one slam at that point. He had never been no1 yet, though he was expected to take it at the Australian Open.

EDIT
Searching for the article where Margaret Court says it is too early to call Federer the best ever like a lot of people were doing at the time.

I knew in 1975