Adriano Panatta snubs Novak Djokovic by naming Roger Federer the GREATEST despite the Serb winning a record 23rd Grand Slam title

Former French Open champion Adriano Panatta chooses Roger Federer as the GOAT ahead of Novak Djokovic.

Adriano Panatta snubs Novak Djokovic by naming Roger Federer the GREATEST despite the Serb winning a record 23rd Grand Slam title

Adriano Panatta, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer (Image via: Pinterest)

The debate around who is the real GOAT in tennis is never-ending. Many experts and legends of the sport have given different reasons for choosing the greatest player according to their opinion.

After Novak Djokovic’s historic 23rd Major victory at the French Open last week, the percentage of people choosing their best people has vastly increased towards the Serb. However, former French Open champion Adriano Panatta still feels that no one is better than the 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.

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The only player to defeat Bjorn Borg at Roland Garros, Panatta believes that choosing the greatest player across generations merely on the basis of statistics is unjustified, as they never tell the time in which a particular player played. During the interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, Panatta gave reasons for his choice of picking Federer despite Djokovic’s heroics.

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“Nothing changes for me: Roger Federer is the greatest. It’s not just a question of aesthetics. Nor of statistics, which are liked a lot but leave the time they find. Let me explain better: Borg in the few years he has played concentrated more Grand Slam victories than Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer combined,” said the Italian.

The 1976 French Open champion then gave more of a diplomatic answer, stating that all are greats in their own rights while it is the media who brings this question every time to gain traction.

“Let’s do this: they are all great. There is no greatest. Each one dominates his historical period. The comparisons don’t make too much sense, they are just journalistic whims: they change the rackets, the courts, the balls, the way of being on the court and playing tennis, everything changes. Does Djokovic say he’s the best? I propose that we deal with it,” said Panatta.

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Roger Federer is one of the legends of the sport

Roger Federer (Image via The Economic Times)
Roger Federer (Image via The Economic Times)

While it would be unfair to say that Federer is the greatest of all time without taking into account various factors associated with it, there is no denying the fact that the Swiss Maestro is one of the legends of the sport.

For such a long time, Federer held the record for the most number of Majors won by a man in the history of the sport. The Swiss dominated the tennis arena for around two decades, claiming 20 Grand Slam titles and innumerable other accolades.

Federer’s one-handed backhand was a thing of beauty and he rarely found himself in a controversy, making him a complete player. Federer finally hung up his boots last year and brought an end to his storied career.

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