The greatest of all time debate is interesting because not everyone defines “greatness” the same way. While the most obvious and direct choice is always to go with the player with the most titles, especially Grand Slams, there could be other factors to consider. So, where does Croatian coach and former player Ivan Ljubicic stand in the eternal debate between Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal?
As Ljubicic has worked closely with Federer, coaching him from 2015 to his retirement, his perspective on the ‘greatest of all time’ can be influenced by his relationship with the Swiss legend. However, he doesn’t deny that Djokovic, especially if he extends his advantage in Grand Slams over the other two, could end the GOAT conversation.
“I feel that Novak is the most successful already, but the word ‘greatest’ implies subjectivity and personal preference. I think that’s good, to be honest – everybody has a preferred GOAT and let the discussion begin,” he told Sport Klub in June 2023.
“If we look at other sports, for example, is there a (definitive) GOAT in football? In basketball everybody agrees that it’s Michael Jordan, but he’s not the one with the most trophies. It’s someone that most influenced you personally: for a third of the world it’s Federer, for the other third of the world it’s Nadal and for the final third it’s Novak.” he explained.
However, he was categorical when discussing Djokovic’s potential Grand Slam wins. “If Novak wins a few more Slams – which seems likely at this point – then the debate becomes meaningless. If Novak ends up having five to ten more than the others, we won’t have conversations like this any more.”
How Ljubicic helped Federer make a stunning career comeback
Ljubicic,45, is best known for his work as a coach, particularly with Milos Raonic and Federer. He helped the Swiss Maestro complete an incredible career comeback in 2017 and 2018, in which he won his three last Grand Slams titles and reached the World No. 1 for a last time.
With Federer, he is credited with helping him improve his backhand, as well as helping him play more offensive. Thanks to these changes in Federer’s game, he not only reached Grand Slam glory for one last time, he also had an impressive performance against Nadal, beating him four consecutive times in 2017.
However, the Croatian was also a decent competitor in the ATP Tour, reaching a career-high of World No. 3 and winning an Indian Wells title in 2010. Against Federer, Ljubicic had a 3-13 record, against Nadal a 2-7 record and a 2-7 record against Djokovic.