[quote author=Vlads Quiff link=topic=34341.msg901137#msg901137 date=1246881947]
[quote author=LeTallecWiz link=topic=34341.msg901069#msg901069 date=1246871306]
[quote author=Vlads Quiff link=topic=34341.msg901062#msg901062 date=1246870622]
[quote author=LeTallecWiz link=topic=34341.msg900991#msg900991 date=1246855579]
[quote author=Le Chacal link=topic=34341.msg900982#msg900982 date=1246849880]
Federer best ever now.
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Considering he's playing in the easiest male era since I dunno when, I don't really agree with that.
It's far easier to win things when your ONLY real rival is Nadal - and he was average on non-clay surfaces during his early years.
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That has always been my point in all this "greatest ever" debate, it depends who your rivals and peers are in the era you are playing.
regards
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I will say this though - he's a phenomenal player, and he would have won majors in ANY era but I doubt he'd have won 15 in say the 80s or 90s as the competition throughout the later rounds was so much tougher. I mean, think about Sampras or Aggassi ... Edberg, Stich, Becker, Chang, Courier, Ivansevic, Rafter, the young Hewitt, etc ...
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I agree too, a fantastic player and possibly the best player I have seen, and possibly the best player ever, but no one will know for sure
regards
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Both arguments have merit; I do agree that the rivalries then were far stronger, snd I do think the domination would be less.
But I grew up watching every player on that list, and on his day; Federer would crush every single name on that list.
McEnroe predicted years ago that he would be the best player ever, and he's not far off.
Wish LeChacal werent quite so smug about it tho.
I'm saddened that Sampras' record has been broken (which was why I was rooting for Roddick yesterday), but congrats to a magnificent player.