Are the fans losing sight of the beautiful game with the constant GOAT debate?
The never-ending Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) debate goes on and on in every sport. Tennis has had its fair share of the Goat debate in its history that continues to interest fans till date. The answers have revamped from time to time but the debate never ends.
There have been many exceptional players in different eras, beginning from the rivalry between Jimmy Connors and Rod Laver, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi with Pete Sampras. However, all these players were taken aback by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic with their tremendous fan following, quality of the game and their success in the game of tennis.
It is important to note that all these so-called big 3 cannot be compared to the players in the past. The latter played in a completely different era with fewer fans following the sport and had less technology available.
No doubt these players have done exceptionally well in the sport and have a big hand in promoting Tennis to one of the most followed sports in the world. But the fans are certainly losing their sight of this beautiful game of tennis in order to prove that their favorite player is the greatest ever.
Fans need to have a sporting mind and give credits to each and every player playing the game. These legends have most of the fan following and those people tend to skew their achievements in their minds better than the other counterparts of the players. These type of players don't come around so often thereby, making it essential for fans to enjoy watching them rather than debating over it.
It is difficult to produce a rivalry like Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, and Murray in one era which is the reason behind the audience's appreciation. It is a delight to watch them play and they will certainly be missed after they retire.
Tennis is a beautiful game, one those sport which convolute the intellectual, the physical and dramatic into something more composite and assorted. The beauty of this sport is to make the complexity of the game look simple. The legends of tennis have certainly made people fall in love with the game. A little banter doesn't hurt but disrespecting other players certainly kill the fun in the sport.