I think any debate about the GOAT men’s player should be over (for the time being and also for the foreseeable future).

Many people agree that Federer is the GOAT because of how beautiful his game is, how smooth it looks, or because of specific shots he can hit (forehand, serve, etc). All of those things may be true, but I would prefer to analyze the facts rather than opinions. So after a thorough analysis of the data (especially from Grand Slams), I believe Federer is the GOAT and it’s not even close.

There will inevitably be some people who think Nadal is the GOAT. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but based on the actual data, it’s debatable whether Nadal is even #2. Here’s why:

*GRAND SLAM PERFORMANCE: Federer 20, Nadal 16, Djokovic 12, Sampras 14

-If we use a points system where the winner gets 2 points and the finalist gets 1 point, Federer’s edge is even more obvious. Federer’s point total at the French Open is relatively low because he lost 4 finals to Nadal, who is certainly the greatest CLAY COURT player of all-time.

Federer (Total 50 - 13 AO, 6 FO, 19 W, 12 US)

Nadal (Total 39 - 5 AO, 20 FO, 7 W, 7 US) : Note that over 50% of Nadal’s Grand Slam points come from the French Open. Although Nadal is undoubtedly the GOAT on CLAY, his results (19 points) on any surface other than clay are substantially weaker than Djokovic (28 points) or Sampras (32 points).

Djokovic (Total 33 - 12 AO, 5 FO, 7 W, 9 US)

Sampras (Total 32 - 5 AO, 0 FO, 14 W, 13 US)

*WEEKS RANKED #1: Federer 302, Sampras 286, Djokovic 223, Nadal 166

*NUMBER OF TITLES: Federer 96, Nadal, 75, Djokovic 68, Sampras 64

*ATP FINALS TITLES (aka BEATING THE BEST PLAYERS OF EACH YEAR): Federer 6, Sampras 5, Djokovic 5, Nadal 0