"If it is the player with the most influence, it's Roger Federer" - Marc Rosset on 'GOAT' pick between Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal & the Swiss
Former Swiss professional tennis player Marc Rosset has shared his take on the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) debate, ranking Roger Federer's influence on the sport above that of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Rosset also drew a comparison between Federer and NBA legend Michael Jordan to further illustrate his perspective.
Amid the longstanding debate regarding who deserves the GOAT title between the 'Big 3,' Rosset has offered a nuanced perspective, asserting that his view varies based on whether the discussion is based solely on statistical accomplishments or if subjective factors also come into play.
In a recent interview with Tennis Magazin, Rosset suggested that Djokovic and Nadal would be considered the greatest if the criteria were based only on Grand Slam titles. However, he contended that Federer significantly outshines them in terms of his influence on the sport.
The Swiss emphasized that the global popularity and financial lucrativeness of modern tennis can be largely attributed to the 20-time Grand Slam champion, likening his contribution to Michael Jordan's impact on the NBA.
"It depends on what is most important to you. If it is the number of Grand Slams, Nadal and Djokovic are the best. If it is the player with the most influence on the sport, for me it is Roger," he said.
"A lot of what the sport is like now, for example the high attention and the prize money, we owe to him. In basketball there is also the distinction between the time before and after Michael Jordan," he added.
Nevertheless, Rosset conceded that the fans of each member of the 'Big 3' would likely have their own arguments for their favorite players as the GOAT.
"The people who love Federer say it is Federer, the people who are crazy about Novak say it is Novak. The people who like Nadal say he won everything," Rosset said.
"When I won the Olympics, I said Roger Federer could win anything except the Olympics" - Marc Rosset
Marc Rosset won Switzerland's first gold medal in men's singles at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The 53-year-old joked that he had an agreement with Roger Federer that his compatriot could win everything except the Olympic gold.
"We had an agreement. When I won the Olympics, I said he could win anything except the Olympics ( laughs )," he said in the same interview.
Nevertheless, Rosset asserted that it was a "shame" that the 20-time Grand Slam champion fell short of the achievement, especially at the 2012 London Olympics, which took place at Wimbledon.
"Seriously, it was a shame he couldn't win the Olympics. I would have liked him to win the 2012 Olympics in London. It would have been 20 years after my success and it would have been something very nice to share that with him. I'm really not the type of person who says he wants to be the only one to have won gold," he added.
The former World No. 1 clinched the silver medal at the London Olympics, suffering a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 loss to Andy Murray, despite beating the Brit in the final at the grasscourt Major just four weeks prior.