The period from 2005 onwards saw some of the greatest rivalries taking shape in men’s tennis. Novak Djokovic made his Grand Slam debut that year and the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were slowly starting to usher in their domination on the men’s tour. Over the years, Djokovic entered that fold, and the trio often made it to the podium of big events. As a result, the GOAT debate often revolves around Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. Looks like the Swiss maestro has settled this debate himself as revealed by Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs.

This year, the French Open and the Olympics will both be held at the iconic Roland Garros stadium in Paris. In one of the recent episodes of Racquet’s Rennae Stubbs Podcast, tennis personalities Rennae Stubbs and Sam Querrey dived into the recently announced Wimbledon draw, previews the upcoming tournament, and discussed the US Olympic tennis team selection.

Stubbs said, “…He(Roger) talked about Novak’s backhand how everyone talks about how great Novak’s backhand is but he was like even his back end wasn’t real smooth. That was a little dodgy and how to me it also showed you the reason why Novak Djokovic has become The greatest player of all time.” Interestingly, Federer’s one-handed backhand was a treat to watch and was hugely praised by everyone. Thus, Stubbs felt Federer’s reason was a little dodgy when he admitted his rival to be better than him.

Despite admitting that Djokovic was above him, Federer remained honest, and Stubbs was impressed by this fact. She further went on to add, “Arguably, because he improved every single year, every little thing about his game. And it was really nice to hear that and that’s the thing about that we love about Roger. He’s always been really honest. But he knows how to sort of massage it.”

However, this is not the first time that Federer has passed on the GOAT crown to Djokovic. During a heartfelt confession earlier this year, Federer again let Djokovic to be above him.

Roger Federer longs to be a ‘role model’ and not the GOAT crown

In May this year, Federer and Rafael Nadal made a special appearance together for Louis Vuitton’s event. During a question-and-answer session there, the legendary duo was asked how they wanted the fans to remember them. While they could have easily longed for them to be remembered as the GOATs, Federer and Nadal instead passed on that crown to Novak Djokovic.

On this front, Federer mentioned, “I hope if I’m remembered not only as a tennis player but also as the person behind, what I gave to the game and what I represented to the game…if I was a good role model for the kids, I mean, that would make me happy too.”

Statistically speaking, while Federer has 20 major titles and Nadal has 22 Grand Slam victories, Djokovic leads the pack with 24 majors. Additionally, he is still very much active on the tennis circuit and has a glorious chance to add to his tally at the upcoming Wimbledon Championships.