Head to heads are one game of tennis where anything can happen on any given day and we cannot compare head to heads through different generations so I do not see this as a valid measure.

Good point. The fact that it swings the result and influences who gets however many titles is already enough, it doesn't need additional weight on top of that.

I think Federer is pretty unlucky, that Nadal is a tough matchup and then Djokovic he has to play as an older player. Even if the beginning of his career was a little soft, it could be tougher and he'd probably dominate similarly. The big thing-- given the consistency you highlight-- is avoiding the really hard freak obstacles.

If you shuffle up all possible players, I feel like Nadal's prime and Djokovic's prime when you're older are basically the two worst things to get. So you can make a pretty good argument that it's the worst possible era for him.

Assuming the same motivation and fitness and whatnot, I feel like he cruises unchecked for 15 years across most eras. And would probably be better off if he was younger too, like if he was in the up and coming generation today, and was able to face Djokovic while younger. (And then take your chances that there isn't a Nadal around the corner.)

Great article. I agree, of course 😃 #goatlife