The GOAT debate has several names in it, but most echo the names of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Over the years, their feats have amazed tennis fans and have made them forget the names of those of came before. Despite their dominance, Coco Gauff‘s coach, Brad Gilbert, came forward to explain why the list of the tennis greats begins with the Open Era and is not limited to the two.

ESPN NBA analyst Timothy Legler came forward to talk about the GOAT debate in the NBA. As per him, there are several names in the top 10, but some are undeniably the best for fans. For him, it is Stephen Curry. Gilbert noticed his argument and agreed with his sentiments.  According to Gilbert, choosing the best tennis players is a difficult task due to the incredible talent across different eras.

“That’s why lists are so incredibly difficult and are water cooler conversations, not to mention so many are biased towards certain players,” Gilbert wrote on X, as an attempt to highlight the challenge in ranking players from different generations. He further added, “I do my top 10 tennis list from the Open Era.”

For him, it’s more meaningful to evaluate players starting from the Open Era, which began in 1968. This approach helps make the list fairer and more relevant. This tweet would surely raise intrigue about what exactly is Gilbert’s list of tennis greats, which unfortunately couldn’t be comprehensive to include the likes of Djokovic and Federer.

Although Gilbert believes that the GOAT debate in tennis should include stars from the Open Era, Nick Kyrgios has a different set of beliefs. For the Aussie, the GOAT argument certainly lies between Federer and Djokovic. He further said that yesteryear greats like John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras could not compete with the players of today.

Previously, he believed Michael Jordan is the GOAT of basketball, because he would be able to dominate today if he were in his prime. “I think Jordan could play in numbers. Jordan could play in this era. I think like Jordan could still play in this era where like those guys would get absolutely snipped in this era.”

While Gilbert and Kyrgios have differing opinions about choosing eras for GOATs, they also have different picks for the tag. Kyrgios sticks to the two ATP greats, while Gilbert picks the WTA stars.

Coco Gauff’s coach reveals his GOAT pick

Gauff’s coach has often talked about his list of greatest players. In a tweet in 2022, he crowned Serena Williams as the top player, focusing mainly on her 39 Grand Slam titles and four gold medals, along with her flawless 14-0 record in doubles finals. “Serena definitely the GOAT,” Gilbert declared. He also admired Steffi Graf’s remarkable 1988 Golden Slam year and therefore listed her as a close contender.

Moving ahead in his list, Gilbert also ranked Martina Navratilova at number three, followed by Chris Evert and Margaret Court. His rankings clearly reflected his belief that the Open Era provides a more accurate assessment of a player’s greatness.

The fact that the renowned coach placed Serena Williams on top of his list makes it clear that he admires the legend. She is at the top of his pick, but as usual, the argument will stretch to the end of time.