Is Roger Federer The Best..ever? Or Sampras?

Honestly, on what basis could you rate McEnroe second? I wouldn't even put him above Lendl, let alone Borg.

Playing at the top of his game, McEnroe was better than all but Federer. Every aspect of his game was better than Borg with the exception of maybe backhand. Borg realized and admits that that's what sent him into retirement. He knew McEnroe was the new king of the court and he couldn't deal with being number 2. Lendl - You've got to be kiding. Mentally, he was one of the worst when it counted. He was the Greg Norman of tennis.

I consider tennis players to be the world’s best and most complete athletes, ahead of decathletes. Golf is not a sport, and the next time I hear some ESPN pea-brain who couldn’t distinguish Roger Bannister from Roy Rogers compare Tiger Woods to Roger Federer, I’m going to . . . wait for my local courts to dry out so I can go hit some balls, and keep trying to figure out this whole topspin thing. .

— harry

http://straightsets.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/federer-defeats-karlovic-in-straight-sets/#comment-36329

John Mcenroe would have wiped both of those guys off the court in straight sets.

XCMiler wrote:

Sampras did NOTHING on clay

He won the 1992 Austrian Open.

He won the 1994 Italian Open.

He helped the US to win the 1995 Davis Cup on clay.

He reached the finals of the US Clay Court Championships in 2002.

He reached the semis of the French Open in 1996 and made the quarters 3 times before that.

Certainly nobody is claiming that Sampras was as good as Borg or Nadal on clay, but to say he did NOTHING on that surface is just wrong.

I thought watching Sampras in the US Open was some of the most thrilling tennis I've ever seen.

And watching him play Wimbledon was just scary.

Being #1 and not even getting to the final once in RG means you really had to suck in the surface.

guy who knows tennis wrote:

Rafa is basically the best player EVER on clay?

No, Borg was better. But Rafa is the 2nd best.

good post

fed has played some great tennis, but the tennis pistol played in '99 from wimbledon to USOpen ( where unfortunately, injury prevented him playing, when he couda won without dropping a set ) was the greatest peak of fast-court tennis i ever saw

he destroyed a peak agassi in 3 sets in wimbledon final with unbelievable back-hands, then faced his 2 "bogeymen" in the hardcourt season prior to new york :

- kryjcek ( who was only man to beat him at wimbledon in 7y & had winning record against him ) & destroyed him

- rafter ( who beat a hip-injury afflicted pistol in previous year's USOpen when pistol was 2 - 1 up in sets before injury ) & beat him like a drum, thoroughly outserve-volleying him & crushing him with ground shots

no one, including fed, has ever played fast-court tennis at this level ( albeit for just about 2 months ) in the last 40y i've watched the game - a peak fed wouda been aced repeatedly & pistol's returning was good enough to give him a break each set

pistol : 6 - 4, 6 - 4, 6 - 2

Wow, interesting to think that was the question back then.

Guess Djokovic hadn't even started playing

Barely even know if Sampras

No. Joker hands down. +- vax status

djoker

Thats because youre stupid. Babe Didrickson and McEnroe were before my time but I still know who they are. Hard to believe kids like you don’t know who Aouita and Zola Budd are. Probably was astonished recorded music was around when you watched the HipHop 50 last week. And you thought rap music started with Eminem.

Djokovic and Nadal are both better than Federer.

no ones cares except nerds

I love this comment

No sense sugar coating it, Djokovic the GOAT. easy. Politically kept away from competing, had the most titles , played during Fed’s run, and still charging.

Federer eating ZA