Roger Federer: The Best Ever?

Now that Roger Federer has completed the career Grand Slam and tied Pete Sampras’ record of 14 major wins, it is time to ask whether or not he is the best player ever to walk the tennis court.

Only a few players have achieved the career Grand Slam—including Andre Agassi who handed Federer the 2009 French Open trophy.  Even Pete Sampras, with his 14 major victories, could never make it past the semifinals in the French Open.  Federer is the only player with 14 major championships and the career Grand Slam on his resume.

Federer has also appeared in 19 major tournament finals, a number matched only by Ivan Lendl.  But what should be noted is that those 19 final appearances have happened consecutively.

Also, Federer has never lost in a major to an opponent ranked lower than No. 5 in the world.  In fact, outside of Rafael Nadal, few opponents have given Federer trouble in major tournaments.

That being said, an argument can be made that Roger Federer is historically the best player the game of tennis has ever seen, but there is still room for debate.  His numbers and dominance trump Borg, Sampras, Agassi, Lendl, and McEnroe. 

However, before Federer is solidified as the greatest player ever, it would be best to see the conclusion of Rafael Nadal’s career.  Federer probably has two or three more major victories in him, which will put him past Sampras, but Nadal remains a formidable force to reckon with and probably the best player in the game today.

Calling Federer the best ever might be premature.  If he can find a way to hold a few more major trophies over his head and defeat Nadal in doing so, then there would be no argument as to who is the best player in tennis history. 

In the meantime, tennis fans should look forward to a few more years of exciting and historical showdowns between Federer and Nadal.