"Roger will leave a bigger dent than Djokovic, he's a nicer icon than Nadal; what he did for tennis cannot be outweighed by results" - Tomas Berdych on Roger Federer
Tomas Berdych spoke candidly about his former rival Roger Federer and expressed how the Swiss Maestro compares to the likes of the other 'Big 3' members in the debate of being the greatest of all time.
Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer have both hung up their rackets from professional tennis. The 2010 Wimbledon finalist retired in 2019 and the latter retired after the 2022 Laver Cup last week.
Although Berdych has played some intense matches against the Big 3 over the course of his career, fans will forever recall his Wimbledon run in 2010, where he stunned the Swiss in the quarterfinals. He then followed it up with a straight-sets victory over Novak Djokovic before failing short to Rafael Nadal in the final.
Following Roger Federer's decision to retire, his contemporaries have constantly been sharing their fondest memories and comparing him against other great names in the sport.
In an interview with iDnes, Berdych expressed his opinion on the 'GOAT' debate and said that numbers and stats can be an objective metric, but players like Federer, who have left a huge mark on the sport, cannot be outweighed by results in this debate.
"Those who wanted to compare the greatest aces by numbers would find arguments for different players. The number of Grand Slam titles may be the most objective measure, but there are athletes who have left a huge mark. I think Roger will leave a bigger dent than Djokovic. I think he is a bigger icon than Nadal. Maybe because he started this great era. What he did for tennis cannot be outweighed by any results," Berdych said.
Berdych: "Roger behaved humanely and pleasantly. If you met him in the dressing room or somewhere else backstage, you wouldn't know what he is. On the contrary, he had moments when he acted like a boy and did stupid things."
(Translated from CZ to EN) https://t.co/hrKpH9AMmP
"There were a lot of people who watched matches or started playing themselves because of his skill & performance" - Tomas Berdych on Roger Federer
Roger Federer and Tomas Berdych have played each other 26 times, with the Swiss leading the head-to-head 20-6 against the Czech former World No. 4.
Following Federer's retirement, Berdych stated that many fans started watching matches and even started playing because of the Swiss' skill and performance on the court.
"There were a lot of people who watched matches or started playing themselves because of his skill and performance on the court. That's what makes him superior to others. Though of course I can understand if a fan finds something special about Nadal, Djokovic or other players," he said.