Pete Sampras is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, yet he does not see himself as that.
Instead, the American thinks it’s obvious who should be given that title, unsurprisingly narrowing it down to the Big Three who came after him.
His 14 Grand Slam singles titles were, at the time, the most any man had ever amassed. Now, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have all surpassed him.
When asked to narrow down who he felt stood out between this trio back in 2021, his answer was simple.
Pete Sampras on who he thinks is the best tennis player of all time
Chatting with the ATP Tour after another campaign had come to a close, the 54-year-old was left enamoured by Djokovic.
After all, the Serbian was coming off the back of a record seventh year-end number one spot, which Pete Sampras suggested would mean little to a man still sweeping up major titles with ease.
Who is the greatest male tennis player of all time?
He admitted: “Seven years, for him, I’m sure he sees it as a bonus to all the majors that he’s won.
“But I think he’ll appreciate it more as he gets older. He did it at a time where he dominated two of the greats, in Roger and Rafa, and he handled the next generation of players very well – all at the same time.”
Sampras concluded with a staunch statement on the GOAT debate, noting: “I do think what Novak’s done over the past 10 years, winning the majors, being consistent, finishing No. 1 for seven years, to me it’s a clear sign that he is the greatest of all time.”
This does go against who Serena Williams said was the greatest tennis player of all time during the same year that Sampras made his claim.
How Novak Djokovic compares to Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and the other elite players
As is always the case with debates such as these, there is no set-in-stone answer, and there likely never will be.
Those who would argue Rafael Nadal as the greatest of all time will likely not be persuaded otherwise, and even a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title for Djokovic would not be enough to change their allegiances.
| Player | Grand Slams won | Weeks at number one | ATP titles | ATP Finals wins | Olympic medals |
| Pete Sampras | 14 | 286 | 64 | 5 | – |
| Roger Federer | 20 | 310 | 103 | 6 | Silver (2012) |
| Rafael Nadal | 22 | 209 | 92 | – | Gold (2008) |
| Novak Djokovic | 24 | 428 | 100 | 7 | Gold (2024) |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 6 | 47* | 24 | – | Silver (2024) |
| Jannik Sinner | 4 | 66 | 42 | 2 | – |
Such an argument is based on tribalism and favouritism, and that’s okay.
It’s what makes sports fans so passionate and invested, with tennis a unique alternative given those supported are solely players rather than teams.
Djokovic may have more Grand Slam titles than any other man, and effectively completed tennis with his Olympic gold medal last summer, yet debate rages on.
He has won the ATP Finals, which Nadal failed to, and has also claimed all Masters 1000 events, which Federer did not.
However, he will be fearing the prospect of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, given their ongoing domination paired with the current rate at which they are hoovering up elite honours.
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