Novak Djokovic clinched his 23rd Grand Slam title by winning the French Open 2023 recently. With the historic victory, the Serbian has gone past his rival Rafael Nadal’s tally of 22 Grand Slam wins. This has sparked a debate on whether Djokovic can be proclaimed as the “GOAT”. One of Djokovic’s rivals and 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer, who is also very much part of the GOAT debate also faced this burning question much recently. The Swiss legend weighed on the debate and had his say.
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Federer admitted it is hard to say who is the best player of all time. “What is better? Winning Wimbledon at 17 like Becker or French Open at 36 like Novak?. I don’t know,” he said.
Federer hailed Djokovic’s achievement but however refused to anoint him as the greatest. “What he has achieved is absolutely gigantic. It could be sufficient. But I think as long as Rafa is still playing, you can’t answer that definitely yet,” he added.
Federer also wished Rafael Nadal makes a speedy recovery and hopes he makes an imminent return to the tour. “I think the level of play is going up again and again. It’s nice to see the new generation challenging the likes of Novak and Rafa and I hope he comes back.”
Federer was speaking on the sidelines of a special event named ‘Roger Federer Day’ organised at the Halle Open to mark the 30th anniversary of the tournament on Wednesday. It was the first appearance for the Swiss Legend at a Tennis event following his retirement nine months ago. He has a great legacy at Halle, where he has won a record 10 titles.
Federer himself is one of the great players to have graced the game. He was the first man to win 20 Grand Slams, which he achieved by lifting the title at the 2018 Australian Open. It was his last Grand Slam title and now despite Nadal and Djokovic sailing past him in all-time Men’s Grand Slam standings, Federer too is still very much part of the GOAT debate in the sport.
Roger Federer not ready to call Novak aDjokovic “GOAT”, hopes Rafael Nadal makes comeback soon
