The reason why Pete Sampras hesitated to say Roger Federer was the greatest of all time back in 2009

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Roger Federer won his 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2009.

Defeating Andy Roddick in one of the most dramatic major finals of all time, Federer took home a then (Open Era) record 15th Grand Slam title.

Tennis legends Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Rod Laver, and John McEnroe were in attendance for Federer’s record-breaking triumph at Wimbledon.

After the match, McEnroe caught up with Borg, Sampras, and Laver, and asked them if they thought the win solidified Federer’s position as the greatest tennis player of all time.

Pete Sampras said it was hard to call Roger Federer the G.O.A.T. with Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg beside him

Working for NBC, McEnroe asked the following question to Borg, Sampras, and Laver.

“Well, I’ve got to ask the three of you a question. Because you’re right there at the top of the list, are you guys willing to say that this guy, Roger Federer, is the greatest of all time, bypassing this gentleman to my right [Rod Laver] and my great rival there [Bjorn Borg], and yourself [Pete Sampras], obviously?” asked McEnroe.

“Well, it’s hard to comment with Rod sitting here,” replied Sampras.

“He won the Grand Slam twice.

1962 Grand Slam season (Amateur)

• Australian Open – Won by Rod Laver
• French Open – Won by Rod Laver
• Wimbledon – Won by Rod Laver
• US Open – Won by Rod Laver

1969 Grand Slam season (Professional)

• Australian Open – Won by Rod Laver
• French Open – Won by Rod Laver
• Wimbledon – Won by Rod Laver
• US Open – Won by Rod Laver

“I didn’t win the French; he won the French.

“If you say the numbers are the best ever, then he [Roger Federer] has it, but Rod, two Grand Slams in the span of six years, it’s hard to compete with that.

“And what Bjorn did… But it’s hard for me to say with these two legends right next to me.”

Australian tennis legend Laver was then asked the same question, as he weighed in with his thoughts.

“I guess I should have won a few more, maybe, but I think, at the moment, if you’re the best in your era, that’s certainly the first thing, and he’s certainly that,” he said.

“When he retires and looks back at his career, I think you, Mac [John McEnroe], will be saying he’s the best in this tennis world, so that’s the thing you look at when he’s retiring.”

Federer continued to add another five titles to his Grand Slam tally before retiring in 2022.

It would’ve seemed impossible to suggest that after doing so, Federer wouldn’t be considered the unanimous G.O.A.T., but here we are…

Who is the greatest male tennis player of all time?

Looking purely at Grand Slam wins (Open Era), Federer currently sits third in the all-time list.

After he took the record from Sampras, Federer was quickly leapfrogged by his ‘big three’ rivals, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Serbia’s Djokovic leads Federer in several other categories as well, leading many to suggest that it is he who deserves the G.O.A.T moniker.

Most weeks at number one

• Novak Djokovic – 428
• Roger Federer – 310

Most Masters 1000 titles

• Novak Djokovic – 40
• Rafael Nadal – 36
• Roger Federer – 28

Olympic gold medals (Singles)

• Rafael Nadal – 1
• Novak Djokovic – 1
• Roger Federer – 0

ATP Finals titles

• Novak Djokovic – 7
• Roger Federer – 6

Federer does, however, still have the edge over Djokovic in one key metric: singles titles.

The Swiss star sits second behind Jimmy Connors but has won two more titles than Djokovic.

Whether Djokovic can win the three titles required to surpass Federer before he retires remains to be seen.

It’s tough to give a clear answer to the G.O.A.T. question, but the numbers seem to point to one man above anyone else.

While Federer may have held the title for a few years, it now looks like Djokovic is the greatest player to have ever picked up a racket…