Federer changed tennis for better

One of the quickest ways to start an argument among friends and family around a braai is to state that one of tennis’ “big three” – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic – is the sport’s greatest men’s player of all time over the others.

That argument will become even fiercer now that Federer announced his retirement late this week, having played more than 1 500 professional matches over 24 years.

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The Swiss maestro’s aching body finally caught up with him, attempting to recover from a third knee surgery in 18 months, but he finally decided next week’s Laver Cup in London will be his swansong. He is 41 after all – five years Nadal’s senior and six years older than Djokovic.

Good arguments can be made for all three of the players as being the greatest of all time and Nadal and Djokovic’s stories are not finished. Federer, son to South African mother Lynette and Swiss father Robert, has won the most overall career singles titles of the three.

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His 103 career triumphs is second on the list, only behind Jimmy Connors (109). However, he is only third on the all-time Grand Slam victory list, having won 20 Grand Slam singles titles – behind Nadal (22) and Djokovic (21). Djokovic has spent the most time at number one with 373 weeks – ahead of Federer (310) and Nadal (209).

Djokovic also has a better head-to-head record over both his rivals. The argument won’t be settled any time soon but, what’s for certain, is that Federer has made his mark on tennis and changed the sport for the better.