Yes, that’s why Roger is my personal GOAT, too – because I just love, love love, watching him play. And lately, I’ve loved watching him fight for these slams.

I’m sure some people feel the same way about Laver and others who aren’t even on the list.

about the GOAT discussion – for me it’s not about the titles, slams or H2H with Rafa – it’s Federer, and only because the absolute mesmerizing beauty of his game. the fluency, the winners count, the grace…. poetry in motion.

i would be delighted to see him take out that ugly Nadal game, i sure hope in the next couple of years he will find an antidote agains his kryptonite – Nadal’s heavy topspin to the backhan side, and reverse that shameful record.

I was a true Fed hater for a while, and had be firmly camped on the Rafa’s side of things. Then did a complete 180!

Fickle I know, hehehe…. but I’ve never been more wrong about a player initially as I was about Federer. Happy to admit my mistakes

Fed’s marketing did help. So people shouldn’t just look at all the negatives, some of Federer’s ads, clothes and appearances really have helped him get more fans.

To be honest, I still remember one of the first times I watched Roger, he’d just won Wimbledon and cried during the trophy ceremony: “This is for all the people in BASEL!” My husband and I cracked up and used that as our catch phrase for the rest of the summer.

Oh, Roger! Thanks for the memories! He’s my GOAT, anyway.

Okay, back to the GOAT-talk. I said 9 or 10 “more” – so 15 or 16 total. I think if Rafa ties Roger or gets within a few slams he could be the GOAT. Consistency matters but in the end, does anyone remember consistency over big results? And Davis Cup and Olympic gold in singles ain’t nuthin’ Then again, head-to-heads aren’t that sexy either. Ack! This GOAT argument twists my brain. Which is why it’s so fun.

But the big thing is that Rafa still has to win many more slams to even get close. And that’s not easy and I shouldn’t assume it’s going to happen.

‘Fed hater’ Topspin: hehehe agree. I think Fed needs a few slam wins over Top 4 opponents again to add weight to his records, not that his records don’t weigh enough as they stand.

It’s slightly hard for him to actually play the top 4 though, as he keeps turning up to semifinals and finals to find the rest of the top 4 eliminated. It’s not like we can make him play round robins with Nadal, Djokovic and Murray…

As for Jacketgate, BAH! *crawls into a hole*
I used to think Federer was the biggest bore before 2006. So do I think the whole clothes/gear focus by Nike was a marketing fail? no. Has it been overkill lately? yes.

Good point about the head-to-head consisting of mostly clay court matches. And many of these have been in finals. If Rafa is the clay GOAT and Roger is consistently second best, that reflects quite well on Rog!

Like you, I’m really looking forward to a healthy Rafa and a happy Roger meeting in more finals.

I often forget about the age difference between Rafa and Roger, mostly because both players are at peak mental and physical fitness. But there’s no denying that they have come of age during different eras, and Roger’s longevity and consistency has made the rivalry possible. It will be interesting to see if Rafa can enjoy a similarly long run at the top. It’s hard to say right now!

Top Spin, I agree that Roger needs to improve the head to heads against Rafa and Murray. Or maybe just one of them.

But I also wonder if it’s true that every GOAT has one hole in his/her resume – maybe it’s a clay phobia, or an opponent, or a lack of depth in their era.

That’s why Rafa makes such an intriguing GOAT prospect – he’s mastered hard, clay and grass, he’s won Davis Cup, he’s won an Olympic Gold Medal – if he can find a way to win “just” 9 or 10 more slams he’d be the undisputed GOAT in my opinion.

Of course, to even assume that this would be an easy task for him or any player is insulting to Rafa, Roger and all the other players. Just winning one is a titanic effort, as Roddick has shown in his efforts to win one more. So this Rafa thing is just speculation. And GOAT speculation is a totally different thing form GOAT identification.

It’s an “insider” argument, not the kind of thing you necessarily see in record books or that casual fans know about, but it’s definitely a big part of the GOAT argument for Roger. Probably more so than Roger’s hair I should have put it in my multiple choice list, above.

Roger Federer is the best player of his era, which contained the likes of Roddick, Hewitt, Safin and Ferrero. The fact that he could still compete, and beat, the players of the era after his just gives stronger evidence for the case of him being the GOAT.