Legend Serena Williams once revealed her choice between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the best players of all time.
Serena Williams is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest tennis players, male or female, of all time. With 23 Grand Slams to her name and four Olympic gold medals (three in doubles), the retired star wrote her name in history. While she has hailed Steffi Graf as one of the best players ever, when it comes to the men’s side, she has a clear favorite between Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Back in 2021 in a press conference during the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma, the younger Williams sister was asked to weigh in on the GOAT debate (via Forbes). “I think two words sum it up: Roger Federer,” Williams said of the Swiss Maestro.
“He’s just a synopsis of greatness and class and amazing and really changed the game. You see players playing like him, moving like him, doing his techniques. The guy is (a) genius,” she described Federer, while admitting that she was a “superfan” of the Swiss, who retired in 2022.
“I just feel like he is really the greatest player,” Williams, who also retired in 2022, said. “You can’t not like the guy, that’s how I feel. His game is so fantastic. If I could only play like him,” she added at the time.
Since then, Novak Djokovic has emerged as the male player with the most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, with 24, tying Margaret Court and having the opportunity to become the player with the most majors overall this year. However, given Williams and Federer’s long-time friendship, her choice is quite expected.
When Federer said Serena Williams might be the greatest player overall
While Federer has recently leaned toward Djokovic or Nadal as the greatest tennis player, in 2018, the 20-time Grand Slam champion suggested that Serena Williams might be the GOAT of the sport, regardless of gender.
“It’s been fascinating to watch,” Federer told Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal in a profile. “She had a totally different upbringing — I came up through Switzerland with the federation, she did it with her dad and her sister. It’s an amazing story unto itself — and then she became one of the greatest, if not the greatest tennis player of all time.”
When Gay pushed Federer on whether “greatest tennis player of all time” referred to female tennis or tennis overall, Federer didn’t hold back. “Overall,” he replied, making clear his stance.
