Even though two of the ‘big three’ have retired from tennis, the G.O.A.T. debate rages on.
Most fans accept that there are three main contenders for the title of greatest of all time in men’s tennis.
Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal are the only three male players to win more than 20 Grand Slams in the Open Era.
Djokovic won the Grand Slam race, winning 24, ahead of Nadal on 22, and Federer on 20.
However, when we asked The Tennis Gazette readers to pick their greatest male tennis player of all time, Djokovic didn’t win the vote…
The Tennis Gazette readers picked Roger Federer as the greatest male player of all time
Over 5,000 readers responded to our TalkingPoints poll, ‘Who is the greatest male tennis player of all time?’
Switzerland’s Federer won 46.34% of the vote, ahead of Djokovic on 32.82%, and Nadal on 16.58%.
215 fans (4.26%) voted for ‘other’, which could include Pete Sampras, Rod Laver, or Bjorn Borg, among others.
The greatest male players of all time (By Grand Slam wins)
| Rank | Name | Country | Grand Slam wins | Years won |
| 1 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 24 | 2008-2023 |
| 2 | Rafael Nadal | Spain | 22 | 2005-2022 |
| 3 | Roger Federer | Switzerland | 20 | 2003-2018 |
| 4 | Pete Sampras | USA | 14 | 1990-2002 |
| 5 | Roy Emerson | Australia | 12 | 1961-1967 |
| T-6 | Bjorn Borg | Sweden | 11 | 1974-1981 |
| T-6 | Rod Laver | Australia | 11 | 1960-1969 |
| 8 | Bill Tilden | USA | 10 | 1920-1930 |
| T-9 | Jimmy Connors | USA | 8 | 1974-1983 |
| T-9 | Ivan Lendl | Czechia | 8 | 1984-1990 |
| T-9 | Andre Agassi | USA | 8 | 1992-2003 |
| T-9 | Ken Rosewall | Australia | 8 | 1953-1972 |
| T-9 | Fred Perry | Great Britain | 8 | 1933-1936 |
The real debate is, of course, between the ‘big three’, and it’s interesting to see Federer come out on top…
Despite winning fewer Grand Slams than his rivals, Djokovic and Nadal, the Swiss star remains beloved by tennis fans worldwide.
His style of play was unlike anyone else, and those who watched him won’t ever forget some of the shots he produced.
The biggest surprise from the poll is seeing Nadal down in third, trailing second-placed Djokovic by almost 1,000 votes.
Numbers-wise, Nadal led the Grand Slam race on several occasions, but eventually fell short against the Serb, partly thanks to his poor injury record.
Would Rafael Nadal be the undisputed GOAT if not for injuries?
Tennis fans have picked Federer as the greatest of all time, but will they think the same 10, 20 years from now?
Could Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner become the tennis G.O.A.T.?
The world’s number one and two have dominated tennis recently and shared the last eight Grand Slams.
- 2024 Australian Open – Jannik Sinner
- 2024 French Open – Carlos Alcaraz
- 2024 Wimbledon – Carlos Alcaraz
- 2024 US Open – Jannik Sinner
- 2025 Australian Open – Jannik Sinner
- 2025 French Open – Carlos Alcaraz
- 2025 Wimbledon – Jannik Sinner
- 2025 US Open – Carlos Alcaraz
In doing so, they have become the two most successful active players on the ATP Tour, after Djokovic.
Both Alcaraz and Sinner have a long way to go before they catch any of the ‘big three’, in terms of Grand Slam wins, but they’re certainly heading in the right direction…
| Player | Country | Grand Slam wins | Weeks at number one | Masters 1000 titles | ATP Finals titles | ATP Titles |
| Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 24 | 428 | 40 | 7 | 101 |
| Rafael Nadal | Spain | 22 | 209 | 36 | 0 | 92 |
| Roger Federer | Switzerland | 20 | 310 | 28 | 6 | 103 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 6 | 49 | 8 | 0 | 24 |
| Jannik Sinner | Italy | 4 | 66 | 5 | 2 | 24 |
Both Alcaraz and Sinner will want to win the Australian Open in January, and add another Grand Slam title to their collection.
If Alcaraz were to emerge victorious Down Under, he’d complete the Career Grand Slam, having already won titles in Paris, London, and New York.
He has, however, struggled in Melbourne over the years and has yet to reach the Australian Open semifinals in four attempts.
Why do you think Carlos Alcaraz has struggled at the Australian Open in the past?
2021 Australian Open – 1R
2022 Australian Open – 3R
2024 Australian Open – QF
2025 Australian Open – QF
It remains to be seen if he can make a deeper run in 2026, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
The 2026 Australian Open is scheduled to begin on Sunday, January 18.
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