The first two decades of the 21st century are often hailed as the golden era of men’s tennis. Fans have rarely seen such an exciting confluence of supremely gifted tennis stars playing at the same time as contemporaries. And the three behemoths of the game – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic: collectively known as the ‘Big 3’ of tennis have largely shaped this era. But with Roger Federer retired and Rafael Nadal’s final run on the tour looming large, Novak Djokovic is slowly edging past the other 2 in the G.O.A.T race. Federer’s longtime coach Ivan Ljubicic, however, isn’t yet ready to hail Djokovic as the greatest.

Lubicic recently shared his take on the ever-relevant debate by citing the example of another era-defining legend from a different sport – Michael Jordan.

Roger Federer still the greatest in the eyes of Ljubicic, as he cites Michael Jordan reference

With a whopping 65 grand slam titles between them, it isn’t at all surprising that the G.O.A.T debate in tennis has perennially revolved around the Big 3 for the past 20 years. Many have argued that the only way to settle the debate is by taking into consideration the total grand slam count of each of the 3 contenders. Going by this, Novak Djokovic clearly edges out his rivals, with a record 23 majors in his kitty as compared to Nadal’s 22 and Federer’s 20. However, Ivan Ljubicic doesn’t agree with statistics being the determining factor of the G.O.A.T discussion.

In a recent interview with Swiss daily Basler Zeitung, Ljubicic explained why he thinks Roger Federer is still the greatest in tennis despite not being the most successful in terms of numbers, much like the legendary basketball player Michael Jordan.

“The biggest is the one who has had the biggest impact on their sport. When we talk about the most successful player, it will almost certainly be Novak. He has won the most grand slam titles, has been no. 1 for the longest time. All the stats are on his page. But there is a difference between the greatest and the most successful. Michael Jordan wasn’t the most successful basketball player, but everyone considers him the greatest. How come? Because of his influence on the sport. For me, that’s Roger in tennis. Everyone can see that differently…”, he said.

READ MORE: “Roger Federer Will Be My Last Coaching Job” – Coach Ivan Ljubicic

Croatian Ivan Ljubicic joined Federer’s coaching team in 2015 and worked with him right until his retirement in 2022. He echoed similar sentiments in an interview earlier this year as well when he claimed that Nadal and Djokovic aren’t at the same level as Federer.

Ljubicic put Federer ahead of his rivals in terms of impact on the sport

The camaraderie between Ivan Ljubicic and the Swiss maestro goes back a long way. The Croat was part of Federer’s coaching unit when he made an iconic comeback to the tour in 2017 after struggling with injuries for a long time. During an interview in March this year, Ljubicic opined that although Nadal and Djokovic have more grand slam victories to their name, their contribution to the sport of tennis isn’t as much as that of Roger Federer.

Clearly, according to Ljubicic, the Swiss legend’s impact and influence transcends beyond the realms of just the world of tennis.

Do you agree with Lubicic? Give us your thoughts in the comments.

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