Yesterday was men's Wimbledon semi finals day. Federer beat Nadal and Djokovic won the other semi. I ended up watching most of both matches on the BBC and as a result listened to a lot of punditry - ha! (as if there is nothing more useful to do!)
Boris Becker at one point referred to Federer as one of the "goats". He then explained goat stood for "Greatest of all time"!
This is a classic topic for any sports fan in any sport. Who is the greatest of all time? Fangio, Senna or Hamilton? Marciano, Ali or Tyson?
Any discussion is a mix of subjectivity, objectivity, bias and of course your view will be tempered by your era - your experience - your exposure. No one can be right but of course but there can be consensus.
Becker and GOAT reference gnawed away. So here is my thought on the tennis "GOAT".
First of all I generally agree with the view that it is impossible - almost pointless trying to compare eras. How can you compare say Rod Laver of the 1960's using a wooden racket and cat gut - with Borg of the 70's, and later Connors and McEnroe and Lendl and Sampras. How can you compare them with the modern player who typically have an entourage of experts supporting them from dieticians to psychologists and tactical analysists?
Suffice to say they were all great players. Suffice to say at various times they dominated their era. Suffice to say they would have risen to the challenge of any era and have been a great player.
Another discussion point is criteria to consider and use. The most grand slam titles, Wimbledon wins especially, holding all major titles at the same time, the longevity of career - number of weeks ranked world number 1 - great matches - personality ????
Ok this short blog needs to be brought to the boil! My pick as the GOAT? ( I better say I claim to be no tennis expert - but I have an armchair based opinion supplemented by a lifetimes participation in amateur sport - ha!)
I cannot with all credibility argue the case for Andy Murray - but without doubt his journey and his Wimbledon wins are especially stand out for me. I have so much regard and respect for him. A true great.
I am going to focus on Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. I do so on the following basis. They are all three in the mix regardless of what criteria you use. They are all three undoubtedly truly great players that have been around for a longtime. I think the fact that the next generation have failed to knock them off their perch underlines there exceptional abilities. So my GOAT is one of these three.
Here is my summary.
Nadal. I cannot stand him but I recognise he has had a great career and deserves to be up for consideration. He has been and remains a fantastic competitor - an animal on court (and I mean that as a compliment). His record is exceptional - particularly at the French Open. However I cannot vote for someone who uses gamesmanship to the extent he does. His time wasting tactics and OCD machinations are blatant but he gets away with it through weight of personality.
Djokovic. The youngest of the three and possibly still plenty more to come. (He will probably beat Federer today in the 2019 Wimbledon final. (age difference the telling factor). Djokovic's titles record could ultimately accrue to be the largest. He is an exceptionally talented player and a fantastic competitor (as they all are) but what sets him apart is his incredible athleticism. He is generally regarded as the best serve returner in the business as a result. No one can do the splits like him and recover. His fitness is legendary.
Federer. Class! Federer's record stands up against anyone on any criteria basis. 8 Wimbledon singles titles (the blue riband event) says so much. He has it all - will to win - fitness - athletic ability of course. But what puts Federer into a different league - a status beyond the rest is the manner in which he plays. Federer is silky smooth. His ball striking appears effortless. His timing is supreme. No one else plays like him. There is no grunting and groaning - no histrionics - no rubber man contortions. He bounces the ball and serves (see Nadal!) He glides around the court. He is a supreme tactician. He makes such few unforced errors. Surely there has been no greater exponent of the game of tennis than Roger Federer. (and no one has won more titles yet!). He just exudes 'class' and for me that is the telling factor - the thing that sets him apart from the exceptional journeyman rest.
So Roger Federer is my Greatest of all time - my GOAT - ha!
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