Jim Courier ranks Roger Federer in GOAT Debate: Where does he stand?

In 2022, Roger Federer announced his retirement from professional tennis. He and his good friend and erstwhile rival Rafael Nadal played their final match together at the Laver Cup. The former Swiss champion made every effort to prolong his career, but when he recognized he could no longer compete for the most significant titles, he had to face the facts. 

His final outstanding season occurred in 2019, when he narrowly lost to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon Championships final, just missing out on winning his ninth title. In that dramatic battle, the 20-time Grand Slam champion had two match points in the fifth set, but he failed to convert them, and Nole gained the advantage of inertia.

Roger Federer's knee condition deteriorated over the next few months, and a true tribulation started, but nobody thought this would be his final opportunity to win another Major title. The former world number one played his final singles match at Wimbledon in 2021, had multiple operations to try to address his condition, and played very little in the final two years of his career. 

A lot of fans are curious about the King's position in the list of the greatest players of all time. Jim Courier, a former American ace, recently responded to this query in an interview with Tennis Channel, “Roger Federer, believe it or not, is my number three. I would’ve thought 10 years ago Federer was unequivocally the very best and then along comes this guy, at number two, the man we’re celebrating today Rafael Nadal and he unlocked the key to getting inside Federer’s game.

Roger Federer retired after the Laver Cup

To compete again in 2022, he needed a new surgery after suffering a surprise defeat to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals. At the Laver Cup, the Swiss maestro declared the end of his career after his return was repeatedly delayed. Although he has lost most of his records to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in recent years, Federer still has an unmatched attractiveness to all other players. Fans throughout the world continue to adore him, and his legacy is quite great.

Rafael Nadal always had the psychological edge in the rivalry and dominated head-to-head for a long time, until the final stages of the Swiss's career. Federer and Nadal established one of the most fierce rivalries in the history of modern sport, splitting fans and elevating tennis to a new level.