Roger Federer, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, announced his retirement last week.

Federer, at 41 years old has many accomplishments in his illustrious career. Federer’s impact on the sport of tennis is undeniable. Federer dominated the ATP tour for many years until the emergence of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. He was the inspiration and idol for many current players such as Denis Shapovalov.

Federer’s retirement marks the official end of the big three era. The big three, consisting of Novak Djokovic, Rafeal Nadal and Federer, have dominated the sport for the last couple of decades. Out of the past 77 Grand Slam tournaments, the big three have won 63 collectively. Only males Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka have won multiple Grand Slam titles in this timespan. 

His career achievements are impressive, but he will not retire as the greatest of all time (GOAT). The GOAT discussion is solely dominated by Djokovic and Nadal. Nadal has 22 titles and Djokovic has 21, compared to Federer’s 20. Djokovic and Nadal both possess winning head-to-head records against Federer. Some of Federer’s most iconic chokes and mental meltdowns have come against these two. At Wimbledon 2019, Federer’s last real chance at another Grand Slam, the chosen one became the frozen one. No one had ever seen anything like it before. Serving for the match, up 8-7 40-15 in the fifth set, Federer choked two match points to Djokovic. 

Besides the chokes, the biggest argument why Federer will never be the GOAT is his inability to overcome Nadal. Nadal is the undisputed best clay court player of all time. At the French Open, the only clay Grand Slam, Nadal has a win-loss record of 112-3. The only man to beat Nadal multiple times at the French Open is Novak Djokovic. Federer has one cubic zirconia Mickey Mouse title at the French Open in 2009 where he avoided Nadal. 

Federer’s impact on tennis as an icon will never be rivaled by any other player. History will wash away his inability to win when it mattered and remember his graceful and elegant playstyle which has inspired millions. Federer is truly the chosen one of tennis. Thankfully for him, history will forget the numerous moments when the chosen one became the frozen one. It is for the best that he is remembered as the golden child of tennis.

Even though rivals ultimately broke his sporting records, the retiring athlete remains unmatched in fan devotion. Of all the achievements that Roger Federer has notched during his stellar tennis career, his 19 consecutive ATP Fans’ Favourite awards are particularly telling. The accolades are not remotely as consequential as his 20 Grand Slam titles (the third-most ever) or the 310 weeks he spent ranked No. 1 in the world (the second-most ever). 

It is against this premise that many of his fans argues and rightly too that during the ensuing decade, Nadal and Djokovic each won more Grand Slam titles than Federer and spent more time ranked No. 1. But their ascension did not diminish Federer’s standing with tennis fans. On the contrary, their scrambly, effortful styles put Federer’s qualities into even sharper focus. He was the only player who glided about the court as if half-floating, and he seldom grunted when striking the ball. Only on the rarest of occasions did he betray any sense of struggle. A running joke for the majority of Federer’s career was that he didn’t sweat.

From Boris Becker to John McEnroe, Andre Agassi to Pete Sampras, every era of men's tennis has seen incredible talents. But the decades belonging to the "Big Three" - Federer, Nadal and Djokovic - have arguably been the most compelling of all.