Grand Slam-winning legend admits Roger Federer will always be his GOAT in Novak Djokovic battle
Novak Djokovic has the statistics behind him that confirm he deserves to be hailed as the greatest male tennis player of all time, but it does not mean you cannot view Roger Federer as the game’s ultimate champion.
That’s the verdict of wheelchair tennis Grand Slam legend Gordon Reid, who admits he will always see Federer as the GOAT of men’s tennis, even though Djokovic has won more titles than his great rival.
Federer finished his iconic career with 20 Grand Slam titles, leaving him behind Rafael Nadal (22 Grand Slam wins) and Djokovic in the all-time list.
Djokovic has also won more ATP Masters 1000 events than his two big rivals and has spent more weeks as world No 1 than any player in tennis history, but Reid told Tennis365 that Federer will always be his ultimate champion for so many reasons.
Speaking to this website at a Play Your Way To Wimbledon event, two-time Paralympic gold medalist Reid explained why his loyalties will always lie with the Swiss maestro.
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“I will always be a Federer man,” Reid told Tennis365. “I grew up with Federer as my idol and that has not changed for me.
Reid suggested Federer was ‘the reason he fell in love with the sport’, as he posted this message on his social media channels when the Swiss champion retired in 2022.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for tennis. You were the reason I fell in love with the sport as a young kid,” said Reid.
“Your style and personality inspired me, like many, many others. It was a pleasure to share the court and learn from you in recent years.”
Reid’s long-time doubles partner, Alfie Hewett, admitted the dilemma over who should be hailed as the greatest is hard to settle, as he believes Federer and Nadal will always have fans who will not accept Djokovic as the ultimate champion in the men’s game.
“It’s tough because from a records perspective, it’s Novak,” said Grand Slam-winning legend Hewett.
“All of these guys did unbelievable things for our sport and it’s hard to separate them and say who is the all-time best.
“They are just an unbelievable trio of competitors and we can all still learn a lot from what they achieved and their longevity in the sport.”
Tennis legend John McEnroe is among those who has suggested current world No 1 Jannik Sinner and his big rival Carlos Alcaraz have taken tennis to a new level after taking over as the new kings of men’s tennis after Federer, Nadal and Djokovic’s era of dominance came to an end, yet he admits that debate will never be resolved.
“Sinner and Alcaraz have demonstrated over the course of the last 18 months how good they are. Those two are amazing to watch,” stated Hewett.
“I watched most of their final at Wimbledon and I was just in awe of the levels they were producing. The quality, the level, the endurance, the pace they are hitting was just something to admire.”
Reid went on to argue that the rush to suggest Sinner and Alcaraz may be better than the ‘Big 3’ of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic may be a little hasty.
“It feels like there is a bit of recency bias when people say these kinds of things,” he added.
“Maybe it’s easy to forget how good Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray were when they were at their best.
“I guess no matter what you think about this debate, you are never going to see a peak Federer or Nadal against Sinner and Alcaraz, so we just have to enjoy these two for what they are doing now.”
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Supported by long-time Vodafone ambassadors Alfie Hewett OBE and Gordon Reid OBE, Play Your Way to Wimbledon, powered by Vodafone, aims to make the game more accessible for all and inspire the next generation with the opportunity to compete on Wimbledon’s world-famous grass courts.
