"Everyone loves Roger Federer because of his graceful and artistic way of playing" - Renowned Coach Rick Macci
In a recent interview, legendary tennis coach Rick Macci hailed Roger Federer as the Greatest Of All Time. However, he also stated that Novak Djokovic could be adjudged the best tennis player in the near future.
Rick Macci, who has coached tennis icons like Venus and Serena Williams, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova and others, recently gave his verdict on the GOAT debate in men's tennis. The debate has been revolving around Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal for some time now because of their sheer dominance in the sport for more than 17 years.
📊 Tenistas con más semanas en el Top3 del ATP Ranking (1973-2021/Men’s Singles):
🇨🇭 Federer | 750 (310+218+222)
🇪🇸 Nadal | 655 (209+370+76)
🇷🇸 Djokovic | 642 (350+144+148)
🇺🇸 Connors | 591 (268+118+205)
🇺🇸🇨🇿 Lendl | 499 (270+106+123)
🇺🇸 Sampras | 457 (286+90+81)
The Big 3 have won 60 out of the last 73 Grand Slams since the Wimbledon Championships in 2003. They are currently tied with 20 Majors each against their name.
In an exclusive interview with Essentiallysports.com, Macci laid down the different parameters that should be taken into account while giving any opinion about the GOAT debate.
Macci argued that Federer has a very graceful and artistic style of playing because of which he also enjoys a huge fan base around the world. But he added that Djokovic's ability to consistently deliver amazing performances at Grand Slams and staying at the top of the rankings for a long period of time make him one of the best tennis players.
“Everyone loves Federer because of his graceful and artistic way of playing. We judge by how many Grand Slams you win. You can't argue with Djokovic due to his consistency and ability to stay on top, there are very few slowdowns," said Macci in the interview.
🇨🇭 Roger Federer: 20
🇪🇸 Rafael Nadal: 20
🇷🇸 Novak Djokovic: 20
Rafael Nadal admits @DjokerNole is well-placed to become the most successful men's Grand Slam singles player of all time.
In the same interview, Macci claimed that even though Roger Federer is the best player in his opinion, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal can't be excluded as they can overtake the Swiss Maestro in the future. He also mentioned that he has a gut feeling that in the end, the Big 3 will retire with an equal number of Grand Slam titles.
"Looks like Novak is coming off for now, but Federer might be the best player in my opinion, but Novak could still be the greatest, but Nadal shouldn't be ruled out either. I think maybe there will be a tie at the end of the day," added the coach.
Novak Djokovic currently has an edge over Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the GOAT debate after his phenomenal 2021 season
When the 2021 tennis season began, both Nadal and Federer had 20 Grand Slam titles against their names. In comparison, Djokovic was a proud owner of just 17 Majors. However, the Serb moved level with his long-time rivals after winning three back-to-back Grand Slam titles in 2021.
Besides this, with his triumph at the 2021 French Open, Novak Djokovic became the first player in the Open Era to win every Grand Slam title twice -- something that neither of his arrivals Federer and Nadal have accomplished yet. He finished the year as the World No.1 for a record seventh time, surpassing Pete Sampras's record.
Grand Slams tally, January 2011:
Federer - 16
Nadal - 9
Djokovic - 1
Grand Slams tally, July 2021:
Djokovic - 20
Federer - 20
Nadal - 20
One of the greatest turnarounds in the history of all sport.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal began the 2011 tennis season with 16 and 9 Grand Slams respectively whereas Novak Djokovic had just one Major against his name. While the Serbian legend won 19 Majors in the last 11 years, Federer and Nadal could manage only 15 Grand Slams between them.
Since 2011
Murray 🇬🇧 + Nadal 🇪🇸 + Federer 🇨🇭
Grand Slams - 18
Tour Finals - 2
Big Titles - 59 ✅
Year End No.1 - 4
Weeks as No.1 - 199
Djokovic 🇷🇸
Grand Slams - 19 ✅
Tour Finals - 4 ✅
Big Titles - 54
Year End No.1 - 6 ✅
Weeks as No.1 - 334 ✅ https://t.co/ojpeFrW5CJ
While Roger Federer has entered his forties, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are still in their mid-thirties and therefore have more opportunities than the Swiss to win Majors in their careers. Thus, it will be intriguing to see who amongst them will end their career with the highest number of Grand Slam titles.