What triggered this thread was watching highlights of his USO 2008 run. That was a legendary redemption after Wimbly 2008. USO 2008 saved his year. He was there to prove something badly. The drama in the Andreev match was quite something... need HD highlights of that match (someone upload it pls?). Andreev was playing the match of his life there.

 

McEnroe a bigger icon. People with no interest in tennis tuned in to see him. No other player can say that!

John McEnroe mentioned in his day, eyebrows raised. That's iconic. He transcended the sport! No one comes close infact.

 

Can you confirm this @BurnsTennis @florentine? I really doubt it tbf.

 

it is completely rubbish when lot of people talk very much about many other things that rise greatness of some players when in the same time they reduce tennis accomplishments and whole tennis just to 4 tournaments and slam race! tennis is much more than 8 weeks/year. and nole has no just slam record but all main records! and he did it much better in main records categories than fed, rafa and sampras combinate. 2 more YE#1 than sampras, 118 more weeks than fed, 2 slams more than rafa, 1 CGS more than rafa, 1 WTF more than fed, bronze medal more than rafa, 4 masters more than rafa, 2 CGM more than anyone, 1485 ATP points more than fed and nole-slam, W%, top10, top5 records and positive h2h vs all main rivals.

 

But this isn't about achievements, there Djokovic has no competition, it's about being an icon and having an impact on this sport as a whole. When you ask random people in this regard, I'm sure they will say Fed's name much more often than Djokovic's.

 

Another thing that defined an unwritten hierarchy between the Grand Slam tournaments, in OE and high-profile tennis, is this Borg-Connors-McEnroe rivalry.

Certainly, RG was Borg's "peaceful" kingdom; his successes brought RG out of its slumber in the 1970s, but no encounters against the other two ever took place.

While Wimbledon and the US Open produced the most formidable battles, worthy of Greek tragedy.

This has left a lasting impact on the perception of each Grand Slam even today, and reflects the impact Borg still has.

It also reflects the "poor relation" status of the AO of the 1970s and early 1980s ( even though AO made considerable efforts to return to the family), which paradoxically saw the end of its dark ages, thanks to Borg's heirs, Wilander and Edberg, real but much more discreet pioneers of the 80s.

 

Federer's rivalries with Nadal and Djokovic were vital in making Federer a big icon of the sport. If he didn't have equals it would be a bit more difficult to market a one-man show.

 

A nice role reversal, I admit. 🤓

It's not as if Federer existed before Nadal and Djokovic and that they were the ones who ran their entire careers behind Federer.... even after Maestro retired. 😅

Or perhaps it would be as if, on the Fed Express, they had "hitched" the Nadal and Djokovic "wagons"...if I can say

 

McEnroe is also an American and appeared in TV shows, movies and all over the place. You can barely hear about Federer since he retired (not that there's anything wrong with that)

 

McEnroe put himself in the limelight post tennis. That is why. You can do many things post career, McEnroe stayed actively in the sport's gravitational field.

 

GOAT-tier posting, OP.

 

 

McEnroe? Why are we discussing a single digit slam winner? Alcaraz is on the verge of surpass him pre-prime

 

Iconic status is not linked to the number of slams, and McEnroe is certainly iconic

 

It should be ok for Nadovic tards to admit that Federer simply had more style, artistry and elegance.

Sure, titles are important too and they won plenty of those, but if the public definition of GOAThood is bigger than mere numbers, then we should appreciate their perception.

 

And honestly, I don't know why anyone would have an issue with this. Things that can't be measured by numbers add more beauty and appreciation to this life. Stats and math aren't everything. People perceive and appreciate things in life that go beyond just numbers, and that's beautiful to have in life. And as @BurnsTennis said, there are several players who are iconic in their special way. I'm not saying Federer is the only great icon here.

 

Honestly I think so too

McEnroe is a good shout but it’s mostly Americanised or in an American TV shows. I’m not sure if people outside that circle would know him as well over the other wise or the world.

When you go to Asia or South America, it’s usually Roger Federer’s name that comes first. Especially in Asia I noticed. I can confirm because I live in a country in Asia and I’ve Peruvian. I can’t tell much about Africa and the rest but seeing as how Federer played a match for Africa back in 2020 and does his South Africa projects with his foundation, I’d assume he’s quite popular there.

 

Since I have been following the sport, here are some icons I can see, for varying reasons:

Rod Laver - calendar slam twice
Bjorn Borg - took popularity to a new level with the screaming girls etc etc. Interestingly his tennis was not as flamboyant as his popularity
Jimmy Connors - attracted milions of people to him with his fighting spirit and boldness
John McEnroe - again, attracted millions to him but mainly because he was a brat and mad genius all rolled into one
Martina Navratilova - defected to the USA from Czechoslovakia. Became a winning machine. Was emotional, came out. Then became a spokewoman for various issues
Chris Evert - very similar demeanour to Bjorn Borg. Popular for her good looks and brief engagement to Jimmy Connors. Legendary rivalry with Navratilova. 80 matches!
Billi Jean King - Helped to set up the WTA Tour. Won her Battle of the Sexes match against Bobby Riggs. Eventually came out. Also became a spokeswoman for certain issues. Tennis complex and competition named after her
Steffi Graf - quiet but intense personality who attracted fans worldwide even though she kept herself to herself.
Andre Agassi - seen as a larger than life personality with the big hair (wig), image is everything, hitting big off both wings with his oversize raquet. Worked through his demons to win everything. Persuaded a lot of white men to shave their heads when they saw he looked good with it. Opened a school for disadvtanged kids in Las Vegas. Married Steffi Graf
Pete Sampras - the man who chased and eventually held the grand slam record for nine years. Before him, no one even talked about the grand slam record. His legendary rivalry with Agassi. Seen as Mr Wimbledon even now
Venus Williams - first black woman since Althea Gibson to win Wimbledon. Campaigned hard for equal pay in tennis
Serena Williams - for all of her achievements and personality (good and bad).
Roger Federer - the last true all court master with a one hand backhand. It looks like it will never happen again. Alcaraz has a two hand backhand so will never be as stylish. A two hander cannot be as stylish, even if they have all the shots.
Rafael Nadal - a Jimmy Connors on steroids, when it comes to fighting spirit, ruined his body to win matches and tournaments. And of of course King of French Open.
Novak Djokovic - the only icon still playing. All other icons are in the past.

I might have missed others but these are the icons I see in tennis. I already mentioned Arthur Ashe.

 

Such a beautiful post. I really appreciate it. We need to appreciate past legends more, even if they weren't our cup of tea. I can't stand J-Mac on commentary or even as a person, but I can't deny he had a lot of pure S&V talent and got more attention to tennis overall. I couldn't stand Sharapova, but I can't deny she added more interest to women's tennis as well, even if she wasn't as successful as Henin or Serena. I respected her relentless fighting spirit regardless of how many beatings she received at the hands of Serena. There is more to tennis than just titles and achievements. Personalities and narratives (the stories) almost matter as much in a lot of ways. The other day, I was watching James Blake highlights (he was very fun to watch in his prime). What triggered this was how much I enjoyed his commentary in the recent USO. And I just noticed how similar his technique is to Sampras's. He was an offensive baseliner, but his strokes (FH, BH and serve) were all Sampras-inspired if people pay close attention to Blake's game. That was cool to notice. Federer obviously was inspired by Sampras and Edberg. And probably Borg to some level. Without inspiration from legends, we wouldn't have greatness like the Big 3 in the first place. I know Sampras inspired Djokovic, but I don't know about Nadal's favourite past legends. Maybe Borg? I should search that perhaps.

 

If you are really looking for a tennis icon look no further than Arthur Ashe...its a matter of record how courageous he was. But I just want to put that out there.

 

Since I have been following the sport, here are some icons I can see, for varying reasons:

That's correct, but your list still includes the main OE ATGs.

Others that are more discreet or divisive are forgotten, such as Lendl, Edberg, and Wilander.

I might have missed others but these are the icons I see in tennis. I already mentioned Arthur Ashe.

This is where the "iconic" label differs from ATG status and the number of slams.

Imo, in a completely different context than Ashe, but reflecting an era, Nastase and Gerulaitis are also iconic, certainly not the most "iconic," but people often flocked to see a match from these guys.

In that sense, they were true stars.

 

@talicnitom Please. Djokovic was never in the position where he would have had to sacrifice his "whole career" as a result of not getting vaccinated as he was in his mid-30s at the time and the majority of his career was already behind him. He already had an extensive resume and many millions in earnings by that point.

Nice to see this thread from a Djo fan get your back up, though.

 

@talicnitom Please. Djokovic was never in the position where he would have had to sacrifice his "whole career" as a result of not getting vaccinated as he was in his mid-30s at the time and the majority of his career was already behind him. He already had an extensive resume and many millions in earnings by that point.

Nice to see this thread from a Djo fan get your back up, though.

ok, just GOAThod and his dream that he fight for his whole career and was so close to achieve in that moment!

 

Federer is definitely and easily the most iconic tennis player of all time. Truly, one of a kind. Can't really emulate the remarkable technique on the serve and forehand.
Now if you want a role model to look up to (gamewise), Djokovic would be that guy since most people play with a two-hander.

 

Btw, Roger said last night that he was in talks with Rafa regarding a possible Fedal Tour.

That would be pretty incredible if it does come to pass.

 

More people will watch it than the actual atp tour

 

Borg was the bigger icon in his time when he played. Probably the biggest in tennis history.

 

He has a good argument perhaps. I was born in 1992 so I don't know much about that era. The first match I watched was a French Open final or SF between Guga and Ferrero, I think. An epic 5 setter IIRC. Speaking of Borg, even Federer himself said he would just like to talk to Borg one-on-one in his recent interview with Roddick. Thought that was interesting.

 

@Nole Rules Murray suffered the sort of pounding and injuries to his body that you would expect a veteran boxer to have when they have up their gloves. Maybe Murray took that counterpunching boxer analolgy two steps two far in a non contact sport....

 

Unfortunately true. He should have figured out a way to improve that serve and 2nd serve and be more offensive in general. His game was brutal on the body despite his incredible fitness.

 

I agree and disagree with this post, I think all of the big 3 players are very particular in different ways: Federer, his obsession with Perfection and huge Ego which he mastered to work for himself, it seems that you never could really get to know him... Nadal, his borderline OCD, rituals, rather hating lose than love for winning, even when winning on the border of suffering. Often misunderstood by many. Djokovic, the man who was always shadowed, who found his hole to join the party were two giants were already sitting, and take the bigger piece of the cake at the end, with his combination of stubborn(not accepting the nearly impossible) and flexibility, to try anything and open himself to research and change more than others.

 

he is a good icon of a crying little girl

 

The OP is probably right. Federer gained his popularity and status not only due to dominant results but also due to aesthetically-pleasing playing style, which attracted fans.
However, I'm not ruling out that Alcaraz can gain similar status if he keeps delivering for a few more years. The guy definitely has it in his game to mesmerize fans.