Who is the most inspirational member of the Big 3 on a personal level ?

[TennisXpert@2023]

Fedheads will vote Fed, V amos Brigade will vote Rafa, Djokofans will vote Djoko.

Personally, I don't find any of them particularly inspirational partly because they all come from wealthy or, at least, comfortable backgrounds with plenty of support to help them on their way.

This. The only things the users on this forum are inspired by is creating false narratives using clickbait content and arguing in circles about the same subject but in different ways.

 

[Clay lover]

I missed the words "on a personal level". Overall it has to be Fed to me because the way he played the game probably drew the most fandom and inspired the most emulators. But with "on a personal level" you seem to imply there needs to be some sort of lesson derived from their experiences, and I'm not so sure anymore - I don't think any of us know enough about their life stories to be able to draw very comprehensive conclusions about their experiences - all we hear/see are very superficial, sensationalized observations - even Novak. For a guy from a supposedly "war-torn" country and having to play in swimming pools he is still much more well-off than most and blessed with good talent and injury tolerance. I can't suddenly buy into the narrative that he has "struggled" that much.

 

[Razer]

Federer was never obsessed with this GOAT crap. Nothing more than fan-driven obsession that is purposefully talked about on a daily basis. Federer leads a balanced life where he doesn’t concern himself with petty things or petty people. He never engaged in petty stat padding because he doesn’t draw self worth from tennis career achievements.

Federer is the person who called himself the GOAT first. Hear his reply.... He says he has good case to be so since he has many things going for him

Federer had a massive ego in the 2000s .... He truly believed he was sent from the heavens to rule the tennis universe and he was so lordly as well in his ways and the way he spoke, 0 humility and tbh nobody had any complaints either because he was winning everything.... but then you think after saying all that he ends up losing everything over the course of the next 12-15 years .... you think it is good ? It is a big embarrassment for him and for anyone who followed him, so what is inspirational about it ? It is the opposite of inspiration...

 

[TennisXpert@2023]

Federer is the person who called himself the GOAT first. Hear his reply.... He says he has good case to be so since he has many things going for him

Federer had a massive ego in the 2000s .... He truly believed he was sent from the heavens to rule the tennis universe and he was so lordly as well in his ways and the way he spoke, 0 humility and tbh nobody had any complaints either because he was winning everything.... but then you think after saying all that he ends up losing everything over the course of the next 12-15 years .... you think it is good ? It is a big embarrassment for him and for anyone who followed him, so what is inspirational about it ? It is the opposite of inspiration...

The video has already been debunked and OLD. Federer was never arrogant enough to called himself GOAT or get caught up in stat padding. The only thing that is embarrassing is trying desperately paint a false narrative concerning Federer because he has moved on and you haven’t.

 

[Razer]

The video has already been debunked and OLD. Federer was never arrogant enough to called himself GOAT or get caught up in stat padding. The only thing that is embarrassing is trying desperately paint a false narrative concerning Federer because he has moved on and you haven’t.

Who debunked this and how? There is nothing to debunk in this, the tone, the thing he speaks, the way he spoke back then, heck any interview he gave in those times was super arrogant. He was a manchild in the 2000s with all his success and later defeats to his younger rivals taught him humility. There is no narrative to paint here bud, these narratives were painted in the 2000s itself, people know how the champ's mind worked even then, people later on know how Djokovic's mind works as well, the audience cannot be fooled, all these players when they speak they give a glimpse of whats in their minds, nothing needs to be painted.

Federer started chasing Sampras's numbers when he understood that he could..... later Nadal and Djokovic as they reached double digits they too understood they could chase Federer. Federer tried to play as long as he could to hold them off, thats a great thing to do, but lets not pretend like he never cared for GOAT and the other 2 did.

 

[TennisXpert@2023]

Who debunked this and how? There is nothing to debunk in this, the tone, the thing he speaks, the way he spoke back then, heck any interview he gave in those times was super arrogant. He was a manchild in the 2000s with all his success and later defeats to his younger rivals taught him humility. There is no narrative to paint here bud, these narratives were painted in the 2000s itself, people know how the champ's mind worked even then, people later on know how Djokovic's mind works as well, the audience cannot be fooled, all these players when they speak they give a glimpse of whats in their minds, nothing needs to be painted.

Federer started chasing Sampras's numbers when he understood that he could..... later Nadal and Djokovic as they reached double digits they too understood they could chase Federer. Federer tried to play as long as he could to hold them off, thats a great thing to do, but lets not pretend like he never cared for GOAT and the other 2 did.

Nice try, Federer didn’t chase **** in any obsessed way. Stop trying to rope Federer in because you need him to be triggered so these GOAT arguments can have meaning. Also fans don’t represent any feelings of Federer.

 

[Razer]

Nice try, Federer didn’t chase **** in any obsessed way. Stop trying to rope Federer in because you need him to be triggered so these GOAT arguments can have meaning. Also fans don’t represent any feelings of Federer.

They why didn't he retire in 2012-2013 ? Why was he playing till 41 ? Why did he try to make comeback with multiple knee surgeries ? For what ? All the 3 of them were obsessed, Fed probably was in a bit of a disadvantage cause there is not much he could have done about this in his 30s.

 

[inflation_era]

Where did Fed say he was THE GOAT?

 

[iopzzza]

Nadal in 2009 Aus open moved even better, probably the best he has ever moved on a HC. Nadal's movement was everything, hitting superb shots on the run.



Thats what I was thinking, when we do the math and look back we see Fed lose everything from late 2000s until he retired, so what inspiration do we draw from that ? Probably it is demotivating when someone looks at the whole picture.

Even at starters Federer is inferior to Nadal and Djokovic. Only thing he has over them is the beautiful style of play.

 

[junior74]

60 votes for Fedal United.

Djokovic will always be The Third Man

 

[Federev]

It is strange but I feel when you look at the careers of the Big 3 then Nadal/Djokovic have been more inspirational than Federer.

Nothing against Federer, I still think he was the best of the 3 ability wise even if the numbers don't reflect it for whatever reasons (weak 90s gen inflation/age gap/whatever reason...we could look at it any way)...... but from a pure inspirational perspective, was Roger inspirational for anyone? The Tennis he played was magical, swift, it is not something which anyone can be taught. From a fighter perspective he was not a bigger fighter than Nadal/Djokovic, thats also a truth.... So how did he inspire anyone? He probably has the most fans even now, but how many of them were truly motivated in life by him?

I think Nadal and Djokovic have inspired more people than Federer to fight back/overcome adversity etc etc and between them my personal vote will go to Djokovic.

So who is the most inspirational member of the Big 3 in your view ?

Vote/Discuss

I see what you’re getting at and can see your point.

I think this is why I didn’t get that interested in Roger until he had to climb back - in 2012. He used to destroy everyone so completely. World number 1 for almost five years straight. It got boring.

But then he started to fade to Djokdal.

So 2012 was compelling to me. Could he win WB again? Could he get #1 again?

From then on it was all about adversity - he was always past his prime dealing w two absolute legends 5 and 6 years younger; he was battling the only undefeated enemy - time.

So I always saw him as a fighter. AO 17, down a break in the 5th to Rafa… no way he could undo the pattern. And then he did.

WB 2019, so old. But beating Rafa - getting to MPs in the final at almost 38 v Novak… amazing he got there. Absolutely crushing he couldn’t get it done.

Then fighting on. Fighting his knees.

0-6 his final competitive set. Nothing left.

Never started a match he didn’t finish. Ever.

I also find his afetch and emotional composure inspiring.

His game looks smoother and his mouth and manner is quieter.

But he was a great fighter too.

 

[Razer]

I see what you’re getting at and can see your point.

I think this is why I didn’t get that interested in Roger until he had to climb back - in 2012. He used to destroy everyone so completely. World number 1 for almost five years straight. It got boring.

But then he started to fade to Djokdal.

So 2012 was compelling to me. Could he win WB again? Could he get #1 again?

From then on it was all about adversity - he was always past his prime dealing w two absolute legends 5 and 6 years younger; he was battling the only undefeated enemy - time.

So I always saw him as a fighter. AO 17, down a break in the 5th to Rafa… no way he could undo the pattern. And then he did.

WB 2019, so old. But beating Rafa - getting to MPs in the final at almost 38 v Novak… amazing he got there. Absolutely crushing he couldn’t get it done.

Then fighting on. Fighting his knees.

0-6 his final competitive set. Nothing left.

Never started a match he didn’t finish. Ever

His game looks smoother and his mouth and manner is quieter.

But he was a great fighter too.

Yes.... You and me are contrasting in this, you dislike people who dominate a lot without any signs of stopping, I on the other like such phases a lot. So this image of Federer in 03-07 slowly started to unravel from late 2000s and the 2010s was just all about the other 2 catching up. 2010-2016 was a very miserable patch and it was frustrating as a fan to see his count not increase, the only silver lining was that Novak had arrived to slow down Nadal...but hey look at the joke that destiny played on the viewers, not 1 but both these fellows crossed the slams tally, Djokovic failed to prevent Nadal from crossing 20 mainly because Nadal won most of the frenchs in 2000s too, no stopping that guy on his fav turf and his count just kept on approaching Federer's. So today when we look at it, we get a feeling like Djokodal have really nullifed all of Fed's shine that he had in the 2000s, he was the Big One back then, today it is no longer a ONE, it is a THREE and surprisingly he is no longer the biggest dog of the 3....

 

[Federev]

Yes.... You and me are contrasting in this, you dislike people who dominate a lot without any signs of stopping, I on the other like such phases a lot. So this image of Federer in 03-07 slowly started to unravel from late 2000s and the 2010s was just all about the other 2 catching up. 2010-2016 was a very dry patch and it was frustrating as a fan to see him count not increase, the only silver lining was that Novak had arrived to slow down Nadal...but hey look at the joke that destiny played on the viewers, not 1 but both these fellows crossed the slams tally, Djokovic failed to prevent Nadal from crossing 20 mainly because Nadal won most of the frenchs in 2000s too, no stopping that guy on his fav turf and his count just kept on approaching Federer's. So today when we look at it, we get a feeling like Djokodal have really nullifed all of Fed's shine that he had in the 2000s, he was the Big One back then, today it is no longer a ONE, it is a THREE and surprisingly he is no longer the biggest dog of the 3....

Yup.

That’s the way the cookie crumbled.

Can’t argue with math!

Though for a lot of people - Fed’s achievements don’t get nullified emotionally, even if they got surpassed numerically.

 

[Federev]

Yes.... You and me are contrasting in this, you dislike people who dominate a lot without any signs of stopping, I on the other like such phases a lot. So this image of Federer in 03-07 slowly started to unravel from late 2000s and the 2010s was just all about the other 2 catching up. 2010-2016 was a very miserable patch and it was frustrating as a fan to see his count not increase, the only silver lining was that Novak had arrived to slow down Nadal...but hey look at the joke that destiny played on the viewers, not 1 but both these fellows crossed the slams tally, Djokovic failed to prevent Nadal from crossing 20 mainly because Nadal won most of the frenchs in 2000s too, no stopping that guy on his fav turf and his count just kept on approaching Federer's. So today when we look at it, we get a feeling like Djokodal have really nullifed all of Fed's shine that he had in the 2000s, he was the Big One back then, today it is no longer a ONE, it is a THREE and surprisingly he is no longer the biggest dog of the 3....

It’s funny - you’re right about me.

I didn’t get excited about Tom Brady until 2007 - when he almost had a perfect season and the Patriots lost the SB - their only loss of that year.

Heartbreaker!

The adversity of that and the question of - could he ever come back? - and then being so old.

Getting dissed by Belicheck and trying one more time at Tampa at 43!

My favorite Jordan season was his last run w the Bulls and then when he tried to come back w the Wizards. It was ridiculous, but I loved his fight.

I love that stuff.

May favorite Novak moment was when he had to fight back tears at the USO in ‘21. As he ages and loses more at the slams, I’ll probably root for him more - as long as it’s not Wimbledon!

I like the underdog - or the old champion - story,

 

[Razer]

Yup.

That’s the way the cookie crumbled.

Can’t argue with math!

Though for a lot of people - Fed’s achievements don’t get nullified emotionally, even if they got surpassed numerically.

Emotionally I agree, Fed will always have more connect with all of us than Djokovic or Nadal can ever have, even today if Novak retires or Nadal retires I doubt if we will feel that sad for them as we did for Fed..

But today if we sit down and think whose journey was " truly inspirational" then the answer is Djokovic by a mile and not Federer, his journey has been all magical script and phenomenal.... I mean none of are mozarts or lebrons or messis like geniuses at what we do, we can only relate with the underdog winning the whole thing or showing nerves of steels or ability to not crack down under adversity because that is the attribute which we mostly desire in daily life.... hence I guess Novak just gets the nod here.

 

[Razer]

May favorite Novak moment was when he had to fight back tears at the USO in ‘21. As he ages and loses more at the slams, I’ll probably root for him more - as long as it’s not Wimbledon!

I think Fed's record is safe if Novak fails this year. Alcaraz is very strong, he ain't letting Novak win wimbledon under his watch I feel. He is a player who raises his level on big occasions and thats why you can count on him.

 

[Federev]

I think Fed's record is safe if Novak fails this year. Alcaraz is very strong, he ain't letting Novak win wimbledon under his watch I feel. He is a player who raises his level on big occasions and thats why you can count on him.

You know - after 2019 - I’m scarred! Nothing is safe for Fed where Novak is concerned!

lol.

 

[Razer]

You know - after 2019 - I’m scarred! Nothing is safe for Fed where Novak is concerned!

lol.

Yeah, 2019 one had he won then it would have been a unique win, his legacy would have looked much better with that one. It would have been a great parting gift for everyone even if he was gonna get injured months after that.

 

[Federev]

Yeah, 2019 one had he won then it would have been a unique win, his legacy would have looked much better with that one. It would have been a great parting gift for everyone even if he was gonna get injured months after that.

100%

 

[messiahrobins]

It is strange but I feel when you look at the careers of the Big 3 then Nadal/Djokovic have been more inspirational than Federer.

Nothing against Federer, I still think he was the best of the 3 ability wise even if the numbers don't reflect it for whatever reasons (weak 90s gen inflation/age gap/whatever reason...we could look at it any way)...... but from a pure inspirational perspective, was Roger inspirational for anyone? The Tennis he played was magical, swift, it is not something which anyone can be taught. From a fighter perspective he was not a bigger fighter than Nadal/Djokovic, thats also a truth.... So how did he inspire anyone? He probably has the most fans even now, but how many of them were truly motivated in life by him?

I think Nadal and Djokovic have inspired more people than Federer to fight back/overcome adversity etc etc and between them my personal vote will go to Djokovic.

So who is the most inspirational member of the Big 3 in your view ?

Vote/Discuss

hard one this. Ive gone with Rafa as for me he epitomises how to exceed one's own limits as personally i think his career achievements outweigh is natural talent level and to me that is hugely inspirational.
Djokovic is also hugely inspirational in how he battled against the Establishment, political interference to break pretty much every record in the sport and do so without being vindictive, which to me is inspirational as if i had been through what he has i would have been a bitter and vengeful person in the extreme against those who had slighted me. Novak deserves so much adulation for how he has handled everything.
Federer is inspirational in that in terms of global appeal and recognition he perhaps dwarfs every other tennis player ever since Borg and was the Elvis Presley of tennis and how he handled all that with such grace and level headedness i think is inspiring to all, especially other celebrities.
All three are just unreal inspiration wise, i just tilt to Rafa as he is the one i can personally perhaps relate to more in terms of my own life.