No one has ever done something ridiculous like winning 4 calendar Slams in a row so there will always be debate. Slam count is the most important criterium of course, but not necessarily decisive... Williams less than Court, Borg and Laver less than Emerson eg. And there is the question of strength of competition on each surface, which doesn't necessarily balance out with every generation. But there is a 'name recognition factor' which is probably the ultimate decider, at least in the public eye. And on that score, I think there's little doubt that the 'name' of Federer commands global supremacy when the subject of tennis is raised, with every other player on a lower level. Sells more tickets, garners more column inches and, most spectacularly, earns more crowd support even when facing opposition in their home country. Artistry, style and elegance has as much bearing on this 'name' factor as actual wins and titles. So even if Nadal and Djokovic surpass his numbers thanks to lesser opposition form the 90s Gen, I think the 'tennis public', outside of specialist forums like this, will continue to reverence Roger Federer as the GOAT.
Djokovic : "Roger is arguably the GOAT"
- Thread starter Otacon
- Start date
AceSalvo
Legend
About now, its well established that Roger had to deal with Next Gens NAdal, Djoko, Murray, Stan especially at 29+ and still do to this day. NAdal and Djoko already established dominance over Murray/Stan the same way Roger established his dominance over Safin/Roddick/Hewitt.
Which Net Gen exactly did Nadal and Djoko had to contend with at 29+? Just Thiem on clay. Lot of people are aware of this massive gap.
Which Net Gen exactly did Nadal and Djoko had to contend with at 29+? Just Thiem on clay. Lot of people are aware of this massive gap.
DjokoGOAT
Semi-Pro
Most experts and knowledgable tennis fans have Novak as the best player ever and the GOAT!
Federer will always be GOAT of winning slams vs bagdhatis, Hewitt, Gonzalez, philippousis.
I think you are really letting people know you are a "new user". LOL!
Some friendly advice....calm down.
JustBob
Hall of Fame
Right... Borg who was introverted and hated the limelight, transcended tennis and became a worldwide ambassador for the sport! Brilliant comparison!
JustBob
Hall of Fame
It's hilarious that Novak gets this but all the fanboys miss/ignore it because they are all prisoners of their statistics echo chamber. They can cite stats 'til the cows come home, but completely fail at understanding human behavior/psychology 101.
The tour they are playing on has roughly been the same since they all turned pro. So how was it designed for them?
Djokovic2011
Bionic Poster
On which surface?
AnOctorokForDinner
Talk Tennis Guru
On aggregate. Versatility, playing different styles on each surface yet succeeding. Bad luck at the USO, would've been favourite to win 1978 if not for the thumb injury/infection (then bad luck to face prime McEnroe, one of the USO BOATs and faster court BOATs overall).
Djokovic2011
Bionic Poster
Big difference between being versatility GOAT and having the highest peak level on a particular surface.
alexio
G.O.A.T.
he didn't say about versatility GOAT, he said that versatility could just be a big part of peak BOAT, versatility and highest peak don't cancel each other out
kevaninho
Hall of Fame
Right... Borg who was introverted and hated the limelight, transcended tennis and became a worldwide ambassador for the sport! Brilliant comparison!
It doesn't matter if you believe he was introverted and hated the limelight. Were you around when he was winning Wimbledon?
I sure as hell wasn't, but ive heard and read enough to know what he brought to tennis.
Let me just quote an article about him quickly....
'Borg's unprecedented stardom and consistent success helped propel the rising popularity of tennis during the 1970s.[11] As a result, the professional tour became more lucrative, and in 1979 he was the first player to earn more than one million dollars in prize money in a single season. He also made millions in endorsements throughout his career.'
But ok, you know better LOL
JustBob
Hall of Fame
Sigh... "Helped propel the rising popularity of tennis" does not equal "transcended the sport and became a global icon". Any non fanboy with common sense would understand that... Federer belongs with Jordan, Gretzky, Ali in terms of global status and transcending the sport. Borg, much like say, Mario Lemieux who many thought was as good as Gretzky never did. Djokovic won't either and he seems to understand that. You should ask yourself why the heck you don't... Maybe googling "transcend" might help...
FYI, I'm 64 so yeah, I saw Borg play, and not just on tv.
FYI, I'm 64 so yeah, I saw Borg play, and not just on tv.
Open Era does NOT apply to women's tennis, because there was NO female pro tour. Most top male players played on the pro tour till 68,, All top women played on the amateur tour before 68
ScottleeSV
Hall of Fame
You make a lot bizarre claims about what people think, but I follow snooker and I've seen a large majority of people swing for Ronnie over Hendry over the years. Particularly in recent years as he's added more and more silverware.
Also, you make a big deal about numbers but then discount Court's claim to being the greatest of all time? You can't just make up the rules depending on which player you're rooting for in any particular sport. Your opinion would be credible if you showed more consistancy in your argunents.
Re Nadal; you're not the all seeing eye of what the public thinks or will think in the future. I imagine there will be quite a split of opinion over Nadal if he gets to 21 slams but that's my prediction.
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