Roger Federer Reveals Who He Thinks is The Greatest Tennis Player in History
- Editor OGN Daily
- Sep 2
- 2 min read
Federer has seen and done it all, so is in a better position than most to have his say on tennis' GOAT debate.
All in all, he won 20 major men's singles titles, including a quite remarkable eight Wimbledons, which saw him lift the trophy five times in a row too. But when talking to the Wall Street Journal about some of the players who had inspired him over his career, he took the chance to pay a glowing tribute to one individual in particular, and declared them to be the best tennis player in history.
The Swiss supremo said: "It’s been fascinating to watch. 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."
Any guesses who he's referring to? Well, it's Serena Williams, who won 23 grand slam titles during her illustrious career.
Federer then went on to clarify that he thought she may be the greatest tennis player overall rather than just for females, adding that wading into the GOAT conversation is always going to be contentious. "It’s not fair to compare, actually. But we know [Serena] is all the way up there. I’m probably up there with somebody, somehow. Maybe there’s a group, a best of five - and if you’re in that group, you should be pleased and happy. Tennis is a funky sport when it comes to that stuff."
There's even a movie about the Williams tennis family titled King Richard - a 2021 biographical sports drama that tells the true story of Richard Williams, the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams. Starring Will Smith as Richard Williams, the film chronicles the family's journey and their unwavering determination to overcome obstacles and achieve superstardom in the world of professional tennis.
