Andre Agassi Switches Sides In Greatest Of All Time Debate

Tennis legend Andre Agassi has said Roger Federer stands out like no other player as he labels the Swiss maestro the best in history.

Agassi, who won eight grand slam titles during his career, played Federer 11 times but only won three of their meetings. Their final clash took place at the 2005 US Open where he lost the title match in four sets. All of Agassi’s wins took place between 1999-2002, where he opponent was finding his footing on the tour.

Speaking with Bild, the recently turned 50-year-old said he believed the world No.4 is the greatest of all time. Federer currently holds the record for most grand slam titles at 20. Overall, he has won 103 ATP titles, which is the second highest in history after Jimmy Connors. At Wimbledon, he has won the grass-court major more times than any other male player.

“Federer, without doubt,” he said when questioned about the GOAT debate. “Nobody stood out from their opponents on the court as much as he did.
“I don’t think [I would have had a chance against him at my best]. I played against him in the final of the 2005 US Open. I won a set – more was not possible.”

The comments from Agassi are a contrast to what he said six years ago in an interview with Singapore newspaper Straits Times. On that occasion he lent his backing behind Rafael Nadal, who currently has 19 grand slam titles to his name. Although he is the one player in history to have won the same major tournament 12 times. Doing so at the French Open.

“I’d put Nadal No. 1, Federer No. 2,” Agassi said in May 2014 before adding “it’s just remarkable to me what he has done, and he has done it all during Federer’s prime.”
“Nadal had to deal with Federer, [Novak] Djokovic, [Andy] Murray in the golden age of tennis,” said Agassi, himself a former world No. 1. “He has done what he has done, and he’s not done yet.”

There have been numerous arguments for and against who should be regarded as the greatest of all time with Novak Djokovic also being in the mix. Djokovic, who started 2020 by winning 18 matches in a row, had previously worked alongside Agassi between 2017-2018.

In their head-to-head, Federer trails Nadal 16-24 but has won six out of their seven most recent meetings on the Tour. Out of the Big Three, Djokovic is the only player to have a winning record against the other two players in their rivalry.

The Big Three in numbers (ATP Tour stats only)