"A complete fool's errand and I'm not taking the bait" - Leading American sports commentator on the GOAT debate between Federer, Nadal and Djokovic
Tennis commentator Brett Haber believes that debating who is the GOAT (greatest of all time) between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic is a lost cause and an impossible question to answer.
Speaking on the Court-Side with Beilinson Tennis podcast recently, Haber mentioned a number of different factors like the age difference between Federer and the other two players.
"I believe that the GOAT debate is a complete fool's errand and I'm not taking the bait. It's an impossible question to answer and depends on what your metric is. The first thing is that Roger is five years older than both of them. It's not apples to apples in terms of who was playing whom in the primes of their careers," Haber said.
"The fact that Roger came back and did what he did in 2017 after six months away and put another two Majors on the board at that age is pretty impressive. But detractors point out that has a losing head-to-head against both Novak and Rafa and that's true, but I think you have to factor in the age difference."
While going into the details of their playing styles, Haber further added that no one could argue about Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer being the best players on hard court, clay, and grass surfaces, respectively.
"People like to conveniently say that Novak is the best player ever on hard, Rafa on clay, and Roger on grass. I don't think anybody is going to argue that. Roger is the most pleasing to watch, the most balletic, and the most artistic. Rafa's movement is so powerful, brutish, and muscular. Novak bends, twists, and contorts himself in ways that seem extraskeletal," he said.
He finally stated that he despised the GOAT debate as it made the fans forget other great players of the sport.
"Fighting spirit and volley, I'd take Rafa. If I needed a money serve, I'd take Roger. If I needed baseline rally, I'd take Novak. We're splitting hair. It's a tough one. I hate it because it negates the Samprases, Lavers, Emersons, Borgs, McConnors, and McEnroes," he added.
Mats Wilander's take on the GOAT debate
During a recent interview with Eurosport, seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander weighed in on the GOAT debate. While the former Swedish star didn't pick a name, he praised all three players, stating that they pushed each other.
"Three opposing playing styles of the trio, which emerged at different times. Roger pushed the boundaries, then Rafa pushed him before Novak came on stage to spoil the party," Wilander said.
Wilander heaped praise on Novak Djokovic in particular, saying that the number of Grand Slam titles would have become completely irrelevant had he not been allowed to participate in the 2023 Australian Open.
"The guy is physically an absolute exception and emotionally an animal on the tennis court, amazing. If he hadn't been allowed into the Australian Open now, the history of our game would have been curtailed in a way," he added.