Stan Wawrinka says it’s ‘clear’ who the best tennis player of all time is

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Stan Wawrinka has won three Grand Slam titles during his career and is one of the greatest tennis players to come out of Switzerland.

But for Roger Federer, Wawrinka might be considered the best to come from his homeland, but nonetheless, his three Grand Slam titles can’t be taken away from him.

The 40-year-old is in action at the Athens Open today, taking on Lorenzo Musetti, with Wawrinka potentially set to do Felix Auger-Aliassime a favour in the race for the ATP Finals.

Wawrinka is going to continue playing in 2026, and ahead of his match today, he’s been quizzed on who he feels is the best tennis player of all time.

• READ MORE: Casper Ruud hails Stan Wawrinka after beating him

Stan Wawrinka says who he thinks is the best tennis player of all time

When it comes to the greatest of all time, the floor is open for debate, with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Federer the three players who get the majority of votes.

Wawrinka is close to Federer and it would be easy for him to pick the 20-time Grand Slam champion as the greatest ever – but he believes one player has eclipsed him in the race to be the greatest of all time.

He said in his press conference: “Novak is there. He has won everything more than anybody. He has all the records. He has been proving every year, every tournament, each time.

“For me, it’s quite clear, in the end. I was lucky to play at the same time as him, Roger and Rafa and Andy. Those players were the best in the world for so many years.

“It was a big challenge and as a fan, amazing to watch them play each other and watch them fight and then how Novak came a bit after, as he’s a bit younger.

“It’s the beauty of sport. It’s the beauty of tennis. Every player has a chance to improve and beat anybody, and Novak did that more than anybody else.”

How Novak Djokovic ranks to the other G.O.A.T contenders

Much like any sporting debate, there isn’t really any right or wrong answer here, with everyone likely to have their favourite tennis players.

It’s hard to really paint a true picture when comparing the Big Three, with all of them having their own qualities that make them suitable choices.

It’s perhaps a bit surprising that Wawrinka hasn’t gone for Federer, but given what Djokovic has achieved in the sport, it doesn’t really come as a surprise that he’s chosen the Serb.

With Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz now dominating the sport, it remains to be seen if he can win a 25th Grand Slam before calling time on his career.