Roger Federer remains the greatest tennis player in history even though Novak Djokovic won his 23rd Grand Slam title on Sunday, according to respondents to a poll by Swiss newspaper Le Matin.

Roger FedererPhoto: DNPhotography/ABACA / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

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To the question “Who is the best tennis player in history?” 71% of respondents chose Roger Federer, 22% – Novak Djokovic and 7% – Rafael Nadal.

5353 people took part in the survey. The Swiss got 3,801 votes against 1,178 Serbs and 375 Spaniards.

Djokovic has 23 Grand Slam titles, a record for men’s tennis.

The record among women belongs to Australian Margaret Court with 24 titles. Rafael Nadal is currently ranked 22nd, while Roger Federer remains at 20th.

On Monday, the Serb began his 388th week at the top of the ATP rankings, while RF has held the honor 310 times and the Spaniard 209 times.

If Federer goes on to hold the record for most consecutive weeks as world No. 1 (237), we’ll have to wait to see if he remains the oldest player to hold the honor (36 years, 10 months and 10 days). On May 22, the Serb turns 36, reports Agerpres.

But being the best in terms of statistics is not enough to be considered the best player of all time, writes Le Matin.

“Being the GOAT (#All-Time Greatest) is measured not only by the number of wins, but also by your role on and off the court,” summed up Chris McSorley, former coach of Geneve-Servette HC and HC Lugano. .

“The list of awards, the number of victories in Grand Slam tournaments – this is something that we forget about. Whereas emotions never disappear,” added Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France. And the emotions caused by “RF” were imprinted in the hearts of the Swiss.