If Federer had have retired in 2010, we would still be having this conversation. It's all about timing. Is Federer a bit like John Walker? Should Walker have retired in 1976? Some would then say he is better than Coe and Ovett. Did Herb Elliott get it right? Avoid a showdown with Snell.
If Federer had have retired in 2010, we would still be having this conversation. It's all about timing. Is Federer a bit like John Walker? Should Walker have retired in 1976? Some would then say he is better than Coe and Ovett. Did Herb Elliott get it right? Avoid a showdown with Snell.
We are still having this conversation. Federer was still confirming his greatness in his mid 30's, finally working out Nadal and pushing Djokovic to five sets.
I know Djokovic is still winning in his mid 30s but he isn't having to play the others at their peak
If you mean that we would still be having the conversation whether Federer was better than Sampras, yeah we would if he retired in 2010.
Thing about Federer is he had to totally change his game when Wimbledon slowed the grass surface down. He beat Sampras on the fast grass using serve and volley, then beat Nadal on the slow grass. Nadal and Djokovic would not have won a single Wimbledon if they hadn't slowed the grass. Federer would probably have won a dozen.
Elliott would be GOAT no question if he hadn't retired. He was a better miler than Snell. He ran 3:35 to win gold on cinders with a heavy cold before the prime he never reached. He would have been the first miler under 3:50. He and his coach planned to break every world record from 800 to the marathon.
If Elliott hadn't retired, Walker would not have been a WR holder, or Ryun. The idea that he retired to avoid Snell is ridiculous.