Tennis legend Roger Federer named the top five greatest players ever to grace the sport. Tennis has been blessed with several star players across generations – from Boris Becker, John McEnroe, Björn Borg, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi in the past, to Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic in the present.
Federer, the winner of 20 Grand Slams, surprised many with his first pick: Stefan Edberg, the former World No. 1 from Sweden who won six Grand Slams. Becker was next in line.
“For me, I needed my GOAT, people who were on the wall at home, and I wanted to be like them,” Federer was quoted as saying by Tennis Gazette.
“For me, that was Stefan Edberg, Swedish guy. He always attacked the net and was super elegant. He was the coolest, and then Boris Becker. They used to play against each other, so I was always watching them,” he added.
Federer then came to the era where he himself shared many rivalries with Nadal and Djokovic. Together, they formed the Big Three of tennis. Djokovic remains the winner of the most Grand Slams with 24 titles, while Nadal has won 22.
Despite their cut throat rivalry on the court, the trio holds immense respect for each other.
Federer’s next picks were Pete Sampras, followed by, of course, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. “Pete Sampras was the next and then, of course, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic,” said Federer. Played with delicate soft touches and grace, Federer is unarguably one of the greatest to ever play the sport.