Greatest mens tennis player of all time

You can make arguments for several players but for me it's Federer and Nadal doesn't come close even if he overtakes him in total GS won.

Pretty sure I won't see a better tennis player in my life, and 100% sure I won't see a better clay player than Nadal either.
 
I'm a casual tennis viewer at best and if I had to pick a 'favourite' player it'd probably be Nadal but this isn't even up for debate surely, Federer is ridiculous definitely the greatest ever.

The 2008 Wimbledon final between Federer and Nadal is one of the best sporting events I've ever watched, absolutely incredible stuff.
 
Federer the best ever. Novak in 2011 had the single greatest year from any tennis player though and IMO was the best and most consistent I've ever seen anyone play in history. However he's behind Federer and Nadal overall in the discussion unless he has an insane few years and can close the GS gap.
 
kidbob said:
Federer the best ever. Novak in 2011 had the single greatest year from any tennis player though and IMO was the best and most consistent I've ever seen anyone play in history. However he's behind Federer and Nadal overall in the discussion unless he has an insane few years and can close the GS gap.
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I think Novak can pick up another few slams before he's finished. He's only 31 and now that he's back at full form he could easily grab another US, Aussie, and Wimbledon.
 
Federer the greatest ever.

Djokovic the highest peak.

Nadal the best ever in a particular GS. Essentially if your life depends on a match and you can choose a player and a surface, you choose Nadal in FO.
 
Federer, by far. Not just his pure quality and brilliance as a player, but also as a personality
 
Escobar said:
Federer, by far. Not just his pure quality and brilliance as a player, but also as a personality
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I agree. His stats alone grant him GOAT status, but there is so much more that cements it. His style of play, which while being effective is also so silky and beautiful that you want to pick up a racket yourself. To me plays tennis like Zidane or Ronaldinho played football. There is just something about the touch and style that no other player comes near. Then there i his importance and impact on the game. Look at the rise in popularity of the sport, the increase in tournament prizes etc. He has had much of the same effect on tennis as Tiger has had in golf. Game changing athlete more or less.
 
Dyslexic Untied said:
I agree. His stats alone grant him GOAT status, but there is so much more that cements it. His style of play, which while being effective is also so silky and beautiful that you want to pick up a racket yourself. To me plays tennis like Zidane or Ronaldinho played football. There is just something about the touch and style that no other player comes near. Then there i his importance and impact on the game. Look at the rise in popularity of the sport, the increase in tournament prizes etc. He has had much of the same effect on tennis as Tiger has had in golf. Game changing athlete more or less.
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Agreed. There is something about Federer's classy style of play that you just don't get in any other player. The only other player with a similar silkiness was Lendl, but he wasn't nearly as good as Fed in terms of all around play, especially the mental side of the game.
 
I'm told Nadal on clay is the best ever(as in, Nadal on clay is better then anyone else ever on any surface), Djokovic is the best ever on hardcourt and Federer is both the best ever on grass as well as the greatest ever in a all time legacy way

:lol:

In all honesty this is one sport were it's really impossible to compare across eras because of the difference in equipment and fitness levels. I mean, could you imagine Nadal, with a modern racket, playing in the 70s or 80s? Everybody else would've just quit :lol:
 
Kazi said:
He’s a bad loser

At least Novak is consistently annoying as both a winner and loser
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:lol: Sort of true.
Djokovic is weird, he's clearly a weasel on the court with all the "injuries" etc. yet I'm unable to dislike him. Love it when he is demoralizing his opponents. While Federer is the goat, Djokovics peak was the highest for me.
What also makes a huge difference how he was able to beat Nadal at RG - unlike Federer, who never won more than one set in countless meetings.
 
Kasper said:
:lol: Sort of true.
Djokovic is weird, he's clearly a weasel on the court with all the "injuries" etc. yet I'm unable to dislike him. Love it when he is demoralizing his opponents. While Federer is the goat, Djokovics peak was the highest for me.
What also makes a huge difference how he was able to beat Nadal at RG - unlike Federer, who never won more than one set in countless meetings.
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I think Djokovic’s weasel-like qualities add to his greatness. He’ll do whatever it takes to win.
 
Hernandez - BFA said:
Federer isn't even in your top 5...?!
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He's a bad loser. He always criticises his opponent when he loses and makes snide remarks about them. It is pleasurable to see him lose. Also, he won most of his Majors after Agassi, Sampras etc retired and when it was arguably the weakest time in men's tennis. He is a sore loser and an extremely unlikeable person.
 
Dyslexic Untied said:
I agree. His stats alone grant him GOAT status, but there is so much more that cements it. His style of play, which while being effective is also so silky and beautiful that you want to pick up a racket yourself. To me plays tennis like Zidane or Ronaldinho played football. There is just something about the touch and style that no other player comes near. Then there i his importance and impact on the game. Look at the rise in popularity of the sport, the increase in tournament prizes etc. He has had much of the same effect on tennis as Tiger has had in golf. Game changing athlete more or less.
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Rise of popularity?

Tennis was a lot popular in the 90s especially in America where they had so many great male players at the time. Sampras last final which was the US open final is still the highest rated US open in the last 15 years or so and that’s by a few million. In other countries it’s probably gotten popular but America the mens game has looked pretty non existence since Roddick retired. A great American player on the mens side would be good for the sport.

Anyway I wouldn’t say Federer was the main reason for rise of popularity. Everyone switched off when Schumacher was winning F1 championships easily and they would have done the same if Federer was swatting Hewitt, Bagdatis and co regularly. Every sport needs a rivalry. Luckily for tennis Nadal and Djokovic came in to rival Federer.
 
Nikhil said:
He's a bad loser. He always criticises his opponent when he loses and makes snide remarks about them. It is pleasurable to see him lose. Also, he won most of his Majors after Agassi, Sampras etc retired and when it was arguably the weakest time in men's tennis. He is a sore loser and an extremely unlikeable person.
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Unlikeable person or not - just to confirm - he isn't in your top 5 greatest players of all time? Come on man. It's to do with talent, not likableness.
 
Kazi said:
He’s a bad loser

At least Novak is consistently annoying as both a winner and loser
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Every top sportsman is a bad loser - otherwise they wouldnt make it to the top. But whenever he was defeated, he showed absolute class. Unless you mean the time when he was 18 years old
 
Nikhil said:
He's a bad loser. He always criticises his opponent when he loses and makes snide remarks about them. It is pleasurable to see him lose. Also, he won most of his Majors after Agassi, Sampras etc retired and when it was arguably the weakest time in men's tennis. He is a sore loser and an extremely unlikeable person.
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That's just not true. He's one who always shows class. How someone can not like Federer is beyond me...
 
kidbob said:
Federer the best ever. Novak in 2011 had the single greatest year from any tennis player though and IMO was the best and most consistent I've ever seen anyone play in history. However he's behind Federer and Nadal overall in the discussion unless he has an insane few years and can close the GS gap.
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Yeah I completely agree with you on all points. Federer is the best with Nadal at #2.

Djokovic's 2011 was beyond ridiculous, Federer robbed him of all 4GS by playing like a God in that RG SF.

Nikhil said:
1. Nadal
2. Borg
3. Laver
4. Djokovic
5. Sampras

Borg and Sampras never won all the Slams, but are still all time greats.
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Salty Nadal fan spotted :lol:
 
Nikhil said:
1. Nadal
2. Borg
3. Laver
4. Djokovic
5. Sampras

Borg and Sampras never won all the Slams, but are still all time greats.
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What a car crash of a list:lol: So Federer sometimes being a sore loser puts him out of the Top 5?
 
saivet said:
Overall package (GOAT): Federer
Best season: Djokovic, 2011
Best player at their peak (one off match): Nadal
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I'm still with this for the moment, though would change the wording slightly as in brackets.

I don't think he will, though I'd love it to happen, but if Nadal finishes his career with more or equal slams to Federer then I'd probably consider Nadal the GOAT.

We'll see what happens, but I don't think it's all a foregone conclusion as some suggest (especially as they are actively playing), though I do agree with Federer right now.
 
It's Federer, unquestionably, because of the way he plays tennis, and the success he's had doing it. When you think of Federer you think of variety, attacking, and winners, whereas when you think of his rivals for the title (Nadal, Djokovic) it's their admittedly ridiculous ability to get the ball back.

High risk high reward beats supreme defence in any sport in the court of opinion, which is why Federer will be top even if someone overtakes his success (unless it's someone who plays even better tennis).
 
Bojan11 said:
Rise of popularity?

Tennis was a lot popular in the 90s especially in America where they had so many great male players at the time. Sampras last final which was the US open final is still the highest rated US open in the last 15 years or so and that’s by a few million. In other countries it’s probably gotten popular but America the mens game has looked pretty non existence since Roddick retired. A great American player on the mens side would be good for the sport.

Anyway I wouldn’t say Federer was the main reason for rise of popularity. Everyone switched off when Schumacher was winning F1 championships easily and they would have done the same if Federer was swatting Hewitt, Bagdatis and co regularly. Every sport needs a rivalry. Luckily for tennis Nadal and Djokovic came in to rival Federer.
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Strange post, tbf. It seems to focus solely on the US when adressing a point made about a truly global sport.

Anyway, it is fairly well established that Federer led/was the first in the Golden Era/Golden Age of men’s tennis which coincided with a rise in popularity of the sport, as well as a significant rise in for example prize money. It also coincides with a media revolution which naturally meant that the sport and the athletes could be conveyed in a different way. Obviously the rivalries between himself, Nadal, Djoko and Murray are a significant part of all this, but Federer’s popularity is quite unique.
 
Not saying Sampras is THE goat based on winnings etc but in my mind he is the greatest tennis player I have actively watched during my time on this dirt globe.

Imho that was truly the golden age of tennis when you consider everybody he had to compete with through out his career : McEnroe, Lendl, Safin, Kafelnikov, Noah, Edberg, Rafter, Roddick, Stich, Krajicek, Chang, Rios, Agassi, Phillipousis, Becker, etc etc.

I probably haven't paid enough attention to tennis since then to assess whether the amount of competition these days is just as fierce as it was then but for me personally - Sampras stands above all.
 
Dyslexic Untied said:
Strange post, tbf. It seems to focus solely on the US when adressing a point made about a truly global sport.

Anyway, it is fairly well established that Federer led/was the first in the Golden Era/Golden Age of men’s tennis which coincided with a rise in popularity of the sport, as well as a significant rise in for example prize money. It also coincides with a media revolution which naturally meant that the sport and the athletes could be conveyed in a different way. Obviously the rivalries between himself, Nadal, Djoko and Murray are a significant part of all this, but Federer’s popularity is quite unique.
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It’s not strange.

Firstly are you really saying Sampras, Agassi, Chang, Courier, Rafter, Edberg, Becker and many others I forgotten wasn’t a golden era. Likewise in the 80s with McEnroe, Bjorg and Connors. So no Federer wasn’t the first to lead golden era. There were two eras before him that were just as important in the popularity of tennis. So where did you get well established from?

Oh and yes America is important to tennis because that’s where 3 master events and a grand slam are held. So yes it’s probably the most important country when it comes to tennis because it hosts the most tournaments. Tennis was more popular there in the 90s because of the likes of Sampras and Agassi.

I don’t know why you keep mentioning prize money. Money is going up in all sports and it was going up every year when Sampras was playing. Not like the players were earning a pittance. Sampras is still 5th highest in terms of prize money behind the big four.
 
Agree, good chance he will finish no. 1.
 
Reckon he will probably finish as GOAT at this rate though there will be much discussion about the merit of dominating this era whilst Fed and Nadal are physically not in their prime.

Having said that some of the tennis Djoko was playing today was flawless.
 
Raees said:
Reckon he will probably finish as GOAT at this rate though there will be much discussion about the merit of dominating this era whilst Fed and Nadal are physically not in their prime.

Having said that some of the tennis Djoko was playing today was flawless.
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I think Fed in his prime when his body could last would probably edge Djokovic. In recent years he has beaten Djokovic in masters. But when it comes to grand slams his body just can’t handle it. Nadal would edge Federer. Djokovic would edge Nadal.

Good triangle we have here.
 
Raees said:
Reckon he will probably finish as GOAT at this rate though there will be much discussion about the merit of dominating this era whilst Fed and Nadal are physically not in their prime.

Having said that some of the tennis Djoko was playing today was flawless.
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There’s always going to be the discussion around the merit of achievements, like Roger winning a few GS when Rafa and Novak weren’t fit, or the entire (arguably weaker) 2003-2006 Roger GS winning era, etc. In the end it’s gonna be all about the numbers, I guess.
 
Raees said:
Reckon he will probably finish as GOAT at this rate though there will be much discussion about the merit of dominating this era whilst Fed and Nadal are physically not in their prime.

Having said that some of the tennis Djoko was playing today was flawless.
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I feel he's more of a contender at this point than Nadal to challenge Federer's GOAT tag, just played an absolutely absurd game tonight.

If he can win in Paris, he'd be holding all 4 GS at the same time for a second time. Possibly uncontested GOAT if he does it.
 
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