In the realm of tennis royalty, a curious case of favoritism has reared its head! Who, according to you, is the best player among the Big 3? The debate is a never-ending one, right? But ESPN might have an answer. The wound of Novak Djokovic’s brutal loss in the finals at Wimbledon is still raw. But ESPN has decided to sprinkle salt on it with the release of the top athlete list, along with a special mention of Roger Federer’s unique skills!

On July 18, The Tennis Letter posted ESPN’s list of the top 100 athletes of the 21st century on X. Surprisingly, only six tennis players made it to the list. Among them, leading the way at 2nd position, is Serena Williams, the undisputed queen of tennis, with her 23 Grand Slams and two decades of supremacy in tennis. Interestingly, following her is Federer in a respectable position #6.

Federer’s unprecedented excellence, with 20 Grand Slams, is one of the many reasons behind his unparalleled success in tennis. Take his Wimbledon record as an example. Since 1998, (Junior Wimbledon champion) Federer has proved himself as a force to be reckoned with on the grass. From being a former ball boy to winning his first major at Wimbledon at 21, the Swiss has indeed come a long way. Besides, winning 103 singles titles, 20 Grand Slams, and eight Wimbledon titles throughout his two-decade career is indeed remarkable. But for Djokovic, it was a bar he could easily cross.

Despite boasting a record-breaking 24 Grand Slam titles and holding the top spot in rankings for 118 more weeks than Federer, Djokovic finds himself surprisingly ranked 11th by ESPN on their recent list. This placement has sparked debate, with many questioning why Djokovic sits five spots behind his long-time rival Federer.

Apart from that, a while ago, ESPN has also released a video on Facebook, highlighting Roger’s unmatchable serve techniques and placement. Noting the timeline of his improvement in serves since 2004, the video pointed out how he mastered the delicate balance of serve risk and serve reward. 

The host said Federer improved all the percentages by providing a statistical analysis of it all. “His double fault rate went from 3.9 to 2.8%. he went from landing his first serve 60% of the time to 62%. He went from winning 68% of its service to 70%, which meant he also went from holding serve a good 87% of the time to a great 92% of the time. Federer didn’t just land his serve in the proper box. His biggest strength was the placement.”

Further adding how his serves pulled his opponent off the court, along with his “unreadable toss,” and “trophy-like stance,” he concluded by saying, “His serve made him the most absurd consistent and accurate player men’s tennis has ever seen.” However, the competition between Federer and Djokovic was always on the ground and never out of it. Whenever Djokovic talked about the 42-year-old former player, he had nothing but praise to shower on him!

Djokovic seems to agree with ESPN bias, hailing Federer as “the greatest ever”

Djokovic has played 40 matches against Federer, winning 27 of them! But in an interview from the past, the 37-year-old player revealed how he learned from the best! “In the matches against him, I went through a lot of different emotions and things that allowed me to understand what I need to do to become a better player and to win against him and win grand slam trophies.”

Not only did he compliment his “consistency” on-court, but he also hailed him as “the greatest ever.” Still, it wasn’t enough. “There’s not enough praise for what he does.” It is almost been 2 years since Federer retired from tennis but his undeniable mark in the history of the sport can never be erased.

However, the latest list of the greatest athletes might upset some while exciting others. But we wouldn’t shy in agreeing that both Djokovic’s and Federer’s legacy in tennis will remain forever etched in our hearts!