Who Serena Williams picked as the greatest male tennis player of all time

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Serena Williams is widely considered to be the greatest female player of all time, but who did she pick as the greatest male ever?

The American legend picked up a record (Open Era) 23 Grand Slam titles during her career, winning the Australian Open seven times, the French Open three times, Wimbledon seven times, and the US Open six times.

She also held the WTA number-one ranking for 319 weeks, the third most all-time, behind Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf.

Having enjoyed as much success as she did in tennis, Williams has more than earned the right to share her thoughts on the sport.

Back in 2021, Williams was asked to name the greatest player in the history of the ATP Tour, to which she provided the following response.

Serena Williams named Roger Federer as the greatest of all time

Ahead of her participation at the 2021 Emilia Romagna Open, Williams told reporters who she believed was the greatest player of all time.

“I think two words sum it up: Roger Federer,” she said.

“He’s just a synopsis of greatness and class and amazing, and really changed the game.

“You see players playing like him, moving like him, doing his techniques. The guy is a genius.

“I just feel like he is really the greatest player.

“You can’t not like the guy, that’s how I feel. His game is so fantastic.”

The G.O.A.T. debate has been covered at length over the last decade or so, as fans have largely settled on three contenders: Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic’s career statistics

Looking at the numbers, it’s hard to argue against Djokovic being the best, given he holds the record for both the most Grand Slams won and the most weeks at number one.

It is, of course, a subjective debate, however, and everyone is entitled to their own opinions, Williams included.

Williams believes Federer is the greatest of all time, but does Federer think the same about her?

Does Roger Federer think Serena Williams is the G.O.A.T.?

During a 2018 interview with The Wall Street Journal, Federer shared his thoughts on Williams.

“[Her career] has been fascinating to watch. She had a totally different upbringing – I came up through Switzerland with the federation, she did it with her dad and her sister,” said Federer.

“It’s an amazing story unto itself – and then she became one of the greatest, if not the greatest, tennis player of all time.”

Federer was then asked to clarify if he meant Williams was the greatest female player or overall player.

“Overall,” he said.

There’s certainly an argument for it, as Williams’ numbers stack up fairly well against the ‘big three’ of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams’ career statistics

She does trail Djokovic in all four main categories, but Williams is definitely a worthy candidate for the G.O.A.T. title.

Perhaps someone on tour today can challenge in the future and win 20+ Grand Slams just like Williams, Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer.

On the women’s tour, Iga Swiatek is already a six-time major champion at 24, while Coco Gauff has two to her name at 21.

Carlos Alcaraz is level with Swiatek on six at 22, while Jannik Sinner also looks set to challenge for years to come, and is currently a four-time Grand Slam champion.

Only time will tell if any of those names can add another title to their collection in a few months’ time, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.

The 2026 Australian Open is scheduled to begin on Monday, January 12.