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What should count against any GOAT contender? Willingness to wear a pair of long white trousers back to front on centre court during the trophy presentation? Least willing acceptance of hair loss during a career? Most embarrassing potentially far-right family members?

All true tennis fans know there is no single GOAT. And his name is Rod Laver.

Of course, the simple answer is usually the truth. Federer just wasn't quite good enough.

Er...Federer had a losing H2H against Nadal from when Roger was 22 years old.

Maybe a clue here as to how Federer was able to win so many slams pre mature Nadal and Djokovic? Literally unprecedented in open era history. 2006: FEDERER Career Slam winner opponents: 2 Slams won by opponents pre 2006: 2 1 ROGER FEDERER 2 Rafael Nadal 3 Nikolay Davydenko 4 James Blake 5 Ivan...

Okay, what's the punchline?

Hmm. You ARE aware Nadal and Djokovic are two different players?

It was the weak era at the beginning of his career that put him into the slam race.

Love Jimbo.

But Federer wasn't #1 in 2017 so that would contradict the basis of the statistical evaluation.

As per a previous request. Here is an update of the peak Top Ten opponents of select ATGs 2019 was requested as an additional year to add to the previous five year old post. Players in bold won at least one slam during their careers. Total slams refers to slams won by opponents at the start of...

Djokovic stood up to the machine. The machine-controlled media are now determined every tennis narrative has to have a negative spin. Perhaps?

Wow! Sports commentators don't have children. You learn something new everyday.

If Djokovic stays fit we could be looking back at "The Big 1 and the Other 3".

If, by some miracle, Rafa could drag himself from his sick bed and hobble to one last French Open he will become the 2nd oldest slam champion of all time (Have I got my sums right, will he be 37?). Which would be remarkable given how many people were certain he was finished a decade ago and...

Do you think Roger is SO obsessed with money? Maybe he knows he has earned enough and will want to do it for the love of the game?

The greatest. But sadly radio hadn't been invented yet.

Of course he was a great player. One of the greatest ever. Just not THE greatest. Which means I hate him, apparently, in the silly, childish Internet world.

Not every great player makes a great commentator. Something about Federer's personality makes me think it might not be his natural habitat. Then again, Andrew Castle proves you can be a poor player AND a poor commentator.

So what you're saying is it took Federer far more tournaments to win fewer slams and fewer Master titles?

To be fair, after the OP wrote that original post Nadal has only won the same amount of slams as players like Lendl, Connors and Agassi won in their whole careers.

I've added a new option and the facility to change your vote, if required.

I can only tell you the reality of what happened with Laver and Rosewall. I never imagined a time when one name wouldn't immediately call to mind the other. Yet, here we are.

Which outcome would be best for the sport of tennis in the immediate future?

Here's the narrative going forward...

We thought the same thing about Laver and Rosewall. That's the sad reality of tennis history.

Peak Federer had a losing H2H against baby Nadal. It's frightening to think what peak Nadal would have done to him. Then you have to factor in what those beatings would have done to Federer's self-belief. And that's before we introduce Djokovic into the equation. Fed however would likely still...

I mean, it's highly unlikely it would be zero, but it would certainly be single figures. Connors, Lendl type figures. And no shame in that!

That's unnecessarily cruel. But sadly, as the decades go by that is how history will probably remember this era -especially if the disgraceful erasure of Rosewall's achievements is anything to go by. But I'd much rather celebrate the incredible achievements of the current Big 2 rather than...

Sporting justice has undoubtedly been done, Hitman.