Roger Federer is the best player in tennis history, says Juan Carlos Ferrero
Roger Federer has often been called the greatest tennis player of all time, by both fans and experts. And now, Juan Carlos Ferrero has opened up on his admiration for Federer too; calling him the 'best player in history', Ferrero said the Swiss made him feel like a lesser player when they faced each other.
Roger Federer has enjoyed a distinguished 22-year professional career, winning 20 Major titles along the way. A few days ago, he was picked as the greatest player of all time by Tennis Channel, beating plenty of strong competition in the form of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Former World No. 1 and 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, in a chat with a Spanish podcast, reinforced that sentiment and made a few other revelations in a freewheeling chat.
"Roger Federer is the only person who makes me feel lower on the court, and is the best player in history for me!" Juan Carlos Ferrero said, picking the Swiss Superstar over his countryman Rafael Nadal.
Roger Federer was also named the highest-paid athlete in the world by Forbes around a week back, with earnings of $106.3 million. The Swiss Maestro clearly belongs to the top of the sport's hierarchy owing to his achievements and likability.
At 38, Roger Federer has seemingly conquered everything the sport of tennis has to offer. In addition to the 20 Grand Slam titles, he also boasts a record 310 weeks as World No. 1, a record six year-end championship titles, and national honors at the Olympics and Davis Cup.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are the top 3 players in history: Ferrero
Cautious enough to not count out Roger Federer's rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, Ferrero noted that there are certain things that make each of the Big 3 special in their own way.
"They (Big 3) are definitely the top 3 players in history," Ferrero said.
"Novak Djokovic is the most compact of the three, physically suffering little disability. He is a very good athlete with height, weight and great flexibility. He also plays well on all surfaces. (He) is one of the few players who put Rafael Nadal's head in trouble," he added.
Ferrero further said that his countryman and friend Rafael Nadal is head and shoulders above most players when it comes to the mental part of the game.
"Rafa is also physically good to do his best and mentally, the best of the three," Ferrero added.
The trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have dominated the tennis tour for the past decade and a half, winning a combined 56 Grand Slam titles between them. They have also won the last 13 Major titles in grand fashion, suggesting that they aren't going away any time soon.
Dominic Thiem deserves a Grand Slam: Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero was later asked to give his thoughts on the other players who are younger than Big 3. The Spaniard used this opportunity to heap praise on Dominic Thiem, who has shown immense promise on all surfaces since the start of 2018.
The Austrian reached the finals of the 2018 and 2019 French Open, as well as that of the 2020 Australian Open. He has been knocking on the door for a while now, and many believe it is a matter of time before he makes the breakthrough.
"I think the most deserving person to win a Grand Slam is Dominic Thiem. He is doing very well with Nicolas Massu," Ferrero said.