1. Pete Sampras' view: Federer... maybe
Ten years ago, Pistol Pete was a chapter heading in the GOAT book. Now he gets passing references and footnotes. So it must be tough when people ask him who outranks him.
"I think if you look at the numbers, you have to look at Roger, what he's been able to do: 17 majors, been No.1," said Pistol in January 2014.
"Roger's had a tough record against Rafa. He lost some of those matches on clay, which is Rafa's best surface, but there is that argument - Rafa has won all the majors, he's been No.1. You could argue that he's well up there."
And then there's the difficulty of comparing generations.
"You can talk about it for 20 minutes on the different comparisons. What Rod (Laver) did back in the '60s - five years he didn't play any majors when he was in his prime, so he could have had over 20 majors. I feel like every decade there's the guy."
You're one of those guys, Pistol.
"I think if you look at the numbers, you have to look at Roger, what he's been able to do: 17 majors, been No.1," said Pistol in January 2014.
"Roger's had a tough record against Rafa. He lost some of those matches on clay, which is Rafa's best surface, but there is that argument - Rafa has won all the majors, he's been No.1. You could argue that he's well up there."
And then there's the difficulty of comparing generations.
"You can talk about it for 20 minutes on the different comparisons. What Rod (Laver) did back in the '60s - five years he didn't play any majors when he was in his prime, so he could have had over 20 majors. I feel like every decade there's the guy."
You're one of those guys, Pistol.
2. McEnroe's view: Nadal
‘If he stays healthy, he can easily win four or five more slams, no question about it. To me, he’s better than ever,’ said McEnroe in September 2013.
‘It’s amazing how badly he wants it. Let’s hope he stays healthy because it will be great for our sport.’
3. Becker's view: Nadal, inevitably
"If you'd asked me that a few years ago, I'd have said no. But this year he (Nadal) has returned to his top form and now has 13 titles to his credit," Becker said. "He's 27 and doesn't intend to stop there. He's capable of getting more"
Asking Becker now though? My guess is that he'd go with Novak.
4. Laver: Federer
"When I look at Federer, with what he's accomplished, against the competition that he's accomplished it with, I'd have to say I would think that Roger is the greatest player," said Laver in October 2013.You can't choose yourself, right?
5. Agassi: Nadal
"I'd put Nadal No. 1, Federer No. 2," said Agassi in May 2014. "It's just remarkable to me what he has done, and he has done it all during Federer's prime. Nadal had to deal with Federer, (Novak) Djokovic, (Andy) Murray in the golden age of tennis. He has done what he has done and he's not done yet."
6. Nadal: Federer or Laver
In declaring Federer the GOAT, despite pounding him time and again, is the humble Spanish bull dog whistling? Doesn't matter - you can't choose yourself.
“I believe it is 100 percent fair that people say [Federer is the best] because he is today, and it will be very difficult for any player to improve his numbers,” said Nadal in November 2014.
7. Federer: ???
So there we have it - 3 for Nadal, 3 for Federer. I guess the casting vote comes down to the Swiss maestro himself. Too often, however, he has avoided the question. Perhaps as the humble Spanish bull closes in on him, he'll speak out more vociferously.
1 comment:
Roger!!
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