Casuals Will Be Talking Federer for the Next 25 Years
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clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
The pundits and the media in general spent close on 20 years selling Federer as the GOAT. That juggernaut tanker will be impossible to stop no matter what.
ffw2
Hall of Fame
They certainly came up short in a number of ways.
In their defense, it was a nearly impossible act to follow.
Thing that disappoints me most is the "happy-just-to-be-there" pack in their wake.
ffw2
Hall of Fame
Both are problems, IMO.
Stagnation leads to nothing. Similarly, treading water is a stopgap.
Hitman
Bionic Poster
Lets just see what happens. After the insanity of the late 80s and early to mid 90s, these questions were being asked then also, and look what happened. I don't think there is any need to worry, things have a way of coming together.
terribleIVAN
Hall of Fame
40-15 will be talked about for the next 25 years.
14 RG titles (2022 to deliver) will instead be talked about for the next 200 years.
14 RG titles (2022 to deliver) will instead be talked about for the next 200 years.
ffw2
Hall of Fame
Whatever gives you the most vicarious pleasure is fine.
Problem remains.
They'll be long-retired.
Nadal_Django
Legend
Nobody will talk about him once he retires. Except maybe from a very few of his die hard fans and some tennis historians. 
Casuals!? In 25 years!? In a "what have you done for me lately" sport like tennis!? Lol forget about it!?
Casuals!? In 25 years!? In a "what have you done for me lately" sport like tennis!? Lol forget about it!?
ffw2
Hall of Fame
Epic.
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
In the real world, it's not the most successful players from the past decades who are being talked about now it's the ones the experts and the media want to talk about. Margaret Court is only ever mentioned in the same sentence as Serena beating her slam record, other than that they never mention her in any context. Borg and McEnroe are the poster boys of the 80s not Connors, Lendl or anyone else, even though Borg doesn't appear too bothered about his legacy.Nobody will talk about him once he retires. Except maybe from a very few of his die hard fans and some tennis historians.
Casuals!? In 25 years!? In a "what have you done for me lately" sport like tennis!? Lol forget about it!?
They both have something in common - success, famous, influential to their sport, wealth and GOAT
initialize
Hall of Fame
Federer will be known as the GOAT even among most tennis players (not just casuals) in the future as well.
Last week I played at the old Crandon Park stadium here in Miami, and I hit a few balls with a very good 10-year old who was playing in some junior tournament there. I asked him who his favorite tennis player was, expecting him to say Rafa or Nole, and he told me Federer, because "he's the best".
It looks like the future might not be so bleak after all...
Last week I played at the old Crandon Park stadium here in Miami, and I hit a few balls with a very good 10-year old who was playing in some junior tournament there. I asked him who his favorite tennis player was, expecting him to say Rafa or Nole, and he told me Federer, because "he's the best".
It looks like the future might not be so bleak after all...
Nadal_Django
Legend
Almost nobody talks about Borg and Sampras although they were very popular in their time. Casual people still talk about McEnroe because he is still in the sport as a TV commentator. If Federer wants to be talked about in 25 years time he should start to learn the TV business.
ffw2
Hall of Fame
Nadal_Django
Legend
The 10 year olds in the tennis clubs around the world are talking about Djokovic right now. In 5 years time then the 10 y/olds will be talking about Medvedev Zverev Tsitsipas or whoever will be the dominating force in tennis in 5 years time. Its the nature of the sport, and the nature of life itself. People easily forget old idols... People easily adopt new idols...
initialize
Hall of Fame
That might be true, but it will be interesting to see if this somewhat changes in the age of the internet and social media. Sometime it's hard to appreciate old idols, especially in sports, because sometimes there's hardly any footage (or quality footage) of their skills. But Fed's GOAT skills/prime level can be easily watched from a few clicks on YouTube
BeatlesFan
Bionic Poster
Casuals won't be talking about the big 3 because no one except hardcore fans will even know who they were. Few here care or know about Becker, Edberg or Mac because their playing days ended before they were born. People's attention spans are nanoseconds now. The moment the big 3 retire, they will be ancient history and people will focus on whoever is racking up slam titles at that moment. The past is irrelevant or dismissed.
Jokervich
Hall of Fame
I suppose so, yes. Anyone born 50 years from now is not going to care about the big 3 because they never got to witness them play. But they will still get talked about by anyone watches tennis currently.
Maybe they will set up anniversary dates for when big 3 won certain tournaments or memorial dates for when big 3 retired, like they do with things like World War 1 and 2.
Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil
Talk Tennis Guru
Not is. Was.
BauerAlmeida
Hall of Fame
They will. Same with Djokovic and Nadal.
ffw2
Hall of Fame
Sunny014
Legend
Right
Among pre Federer times (i.e 20th century) the one in news the most is John Mcenroe followed by Boris Becker.
Becker wasn't even dominant in the 80s and 90s went to Sampras but Boris is so much in news....
King No1e
G.O.A.T.
No, it's incumbent on the next generations to push Federer (and Djokodal) out of the discussion as quickly as they can. If the main topic of discussion in 10 years is still Fedalovic, that would be a colossal failure on the part of the current generation.
Born_to_slice
Legend
Tennis will cease to exist and all people will watch will be archived recordings of our lord peak Fed. Amen.
Sunny014
Legend
Novak vs Medvedev final got lesser coverage than Raducanu's match
That tells us of the future of Tennis.
People like Medvedev and Zverev are no stars, I dont think Tennis will be that popular in another 10 years once Big 3 are gone, might even dip down a lot as a sport ....
ffw2
Hall of Fame
Hard for me to see their efforts as a hypothetical failure at this point.
TearTheRoofOff
G.O.A.T.
Funnily enough, the two energizer bunnies nomming up slams to the point of being on equal terms with Fed might have p!ssed on the proverbial bonfire in the historical hype trains for all three of them. Especially since almost everyone will rely on results and won't be in the business of discerning any kind of difference they might have with tennistic excellence for themselves. Three guys with roughly the same success? Meh. Next. Maybe Djoker can really make it a clown show by getting a sizeable lead while in his mid to late 30s; one bunch of numbers to rule them all.
Sunny014
Legend
Tennis need to be saved by a next generation GOAT candidate from the USA.
Needs to be a 6'3 or 6'4 tall kid with superior gael monfils type athleticism possibly born in 2004 or 2005 to arrive the scene by 2024-2025 and rain aces, have a double handed backhand, a powerful forehand and start winning 3 slams an year and reach 25+ Slams by 2035, of course he will need a rival too, someone who can win 14-15 slams as well....
Only then will Tennis survive, guys like Medevdev and Zverev cannot take Tennis forward, they don't have the charisma and aura of a GOAT level candidate or even that of an ATG.
Needs to be a 6'3 or 6'4 tall kid with superior gael monfils type athleticism possibly born in 2004 or 2005 to arrive the scene by 2024-2025 and rain aces, have a double handed backhand, a powerful forehand and start winning 3 slams an year and reach 25+ Slams by 2035, of course he will need a rival too, someone who can win 14-15 slams as well....
Only then will Tennis survive, guys like Medevdev and Zverev cannot take Tennis forward, they don't have the charisma and aura of a GOAT level candidate or even that of an ATG.
ElChivoEspañol
Hall of Fame
You are correct in stating Federer’s popularity is also a by product of the media hype,there’s plenty of examples in the journalist world where the Fed biases are abundant and blatant, however the guy does deserve his well earned respect for everything he has achieved, likewise with Djokovic, even if I could not be able to care any less for the latter’s game.
GabeT
G.O.A.T.
Exactly. Most posters here misjudge how fast people move on. And also forget how this can vary by nation. In the US press Borg is rarely mentioned unless it’s some kind of historical retrospective or more recently the Laver Cup.
if Novak wins one more slam although he too will fade away I suspect decades from now he will still be remembered as the player with the biggest records. I don’t think anyone will win more slams of have more time at number 1.
ffw2
Hall of Fame
We haven't had the bar raised like this. Not even close.
You really think whatever they're producing a couple of decades down the road will hold a candle to this preposterous output?
Unless someone gets Lance'd, and is erased from history, this is the Wonder Years.
liriel
Semi-Pro
I had the same experience. The boy was I met was older - 12. He answered without hesitation "Federer".
I asked him who wins the second place and he told me "wait, I have to think". Very assertive one boy.
Born_to_slice
Legend
Less coverage from where? I bet it's something like one TV station in the US. Besides, people wanted to see the CYGS. Novak playing like he did, I didn't want to watch it and I'm a fan.
goldengate14
Professional
I said exactly this just now on another thread. Rafa will be fine with it. Its Djokovic who will struggle with it.
It is classic example of why wanting something too much, i.e adulation can be devastating. Federer will be the most remembered player. That story has already been written.
Sampras-Bruguera 1993
Legend
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
I don't believe in crying over split milk so I'm OK with it too even though the evidence doesn't back it up. We are where we are, it is what it is. You can't declare someone the GOAT day in day out for close on 20 years then suddenly try to erase it from people's perception.
O
OhYes
Guest
No they won't.
When you die out nobody will boost Fed's inflated resume
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
I don't think Federer deserves any more respect than Nadal or Djokovic for his achievements. Let us not forget that he is 5-6 years older than the other two and they are level pegging in their achievements considering that Federer already had a portfolio before Nadal and Djokovic were old enough to win anything.
Mark Petchey, only last year, was saying Federer was the undisputed GOAT; I remember it well because I twitted him asking him to justify Federer's GOATness. Now Mark is doing his best to give Djokovic a look in.
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
Well, the Fedalovic record will take decades to be put into the back burner because it will take 20 years for the next generation to surpass their achievements.
Sunny014
Legend
Federer as the GOAT and Nadal as his Kryptonite was the narrative for more than decade from 2005 onwards this narrative was spread in the media and lasted until early 2010s when Novak & Andy joined as Big 4 (a term coined by british media to change the Fedal narrative but quite short lived), then the Big 3 theory gained traction by mid 2010s as people realized that Murray was not in that league and he was just like Hewitt/Roddick types ..... Big 3 gained traction mainly due to Novak dominating mid 2010s and reaching 12 slams by end of 2016 ...... the GOAT race narrative started and Federer was/still is billed as the GOAT and now Novak is seen as his challenger/successor by many, some young losers like Alexander making excuses by calling Novak the GOAT, another loser who this time happened to win (Daniel) still cannot help but stay under the shadow of Novak to call him GOAT in presentation ceremony like an inferiority complex ridden sycophant ..... the narrative goes on but Federer still remains the GOAT even today as 2021 ends.
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