It is not surprising that Michael Jordan is widely regarded as the basketball GOAT. Over a 15-year career, Jordan’s illustrious career is highlighted by his 6-0 record in the Finals, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, and 10 scoring titles. However, LeBron James has emerged as a serious contender for the prestigious title since winning the 2020 Championship. Similar to basketball, even the Tennis world cannot seem to agree on one common selection as their GOAT pick. For the longest time, Roger Federer was lauded for being the greatest. Now, since Novak Djokovic’s recent triumphs, fans have been favoring the Serb. But using a Michael Jordan analogy, Ivan Ljubicic, who is Federer’s former coach, still believes that Federer is the Tennis GOAT.
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Roger Federer was the first man in history to reach the 20 Grand Slam titles mark. The Swiss legend retired as the most successful player in the history of the game with eight Wimbledon titles, six Australian Open titles, five US Open titles, and a French Open title. However, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have also crossed the 20 Grand Slam titles mark. In fact, Djoko sits #1 on the list with 23 Grand Slams and Rafa on #2 with 22 Grand Slams. Even though the stats speak for themselves, the Tennis world is often unable to pick one from the “Big Three” as their GOAT pick.
Ivan Ljubicic uses a Michael Jordan analogy to call Roger Federer the Tennis GOAT
Ivan Ljubicic, Federer’s coach for the final six years of his career, recently gave his input on the tennis GOAT debate. According to Ljubicic, even though Michael Jordan doesn’t have the most number of Championships, he is considered to be the basketball GOAT. Similarly, even though Federer isn’t the “most titled” player, he is the greatest tennis player ever. Take a look at Ljubicic’s statements in The Tennis Letter’s tweet:
“The best for me is who had the most impact on the sport. There’s a difference between being greatest & most successful. Djokovic is more successful. But look at Michael Jordan. He wasn’t the most titled, yet everyone considers him the best.”
It might not be valid to compare basketball and tennis players as the two differ a lot. Being an individual sport, the only way for tennis players to showcase their greatness is by winning the most tournaments. And it is Novak Djokovic who has won the most number of Grand Slams. However, each person has their own unique way of approaching this famous argument. Being the most influential player is Ljubicic’s criteria for the greatest player.
Much like tennis, even basketball doesn’t have one undisputed GOAT.
Even though LeBron James has lesser Championships, he is considered as the GOAT by many
For the longest time, Michael Jordan was clear of all competition when it came to the GOAT debate. However, ever since LeBron James won his fourth title, fans have changed their opinions on the conversation.
LeBron further managed to solidify his legacy by surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. In this case, even though James has two lesser Championships than His Airness, it is valid to put him in the GOAT conversations considering the long list of his other achievements, which includes 10 NBA Finals appearances.
