Over the past several years, a heated debate has dominated the tennis world: Who is the greatest player of all time? Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer stand as the leading contenders, each with a strong case for the title.
Former British tennis star Tim Henman, who reached World No. 4 in 2002, has now joined the conversation. Speaking to talkSPORT, Henman didn’t hesitate to name the Serbian, Djokovic, as the greatest, though he also took time to praise Federer and Nadal for their extraordinary careers.
“For me, it’s pretty clear that Djokovic is the greatest male tennis player of all time,” Henman began. “How do you judge that? I think it comes down to numbers—who has won the most Grand Slams, who has been No. 1 for the most weeks, who has won the most Masters 1000 titles—and that’s Djokovic”.
Henman also recalled his lone match against Djokovic early in the Serbian’s career. “I only played against Djokovic once when he was young, I think he was 18 or 19, and his game was evolving.” Henman continued. “He didn’t serve as well then, but it’s been incredible to see how his game has developed over the years”.
The former World No. 4 didn’t shy away from praising Roger Federer, calling him the most complete player he ever faced. “I played Federer quite frequently and felt he had the most complete game,” Henman said. “He could play on any surface, had very few weaknesses, and there wasn’t one specific area you could target”.
Henman concluded with a nod to the dominance of the Big Three. “If someone had asked me back then, when I first played against them, ‘Can they win a Grand Slam?’ I would have said yes, I think they can win one or maybe two. But I certainly didn’t think they’d win 69 Grand Slams between the three of them,” he added.
Tim Henman’s career
Henman, now 50, enjoyed a 14-year professional career, debuting in 1993 and retiring in 2007. During his time on tour, he reached a career-high ATP ranking of World No. 4 and captured 11 titles, including the 2003 Paris Masters 1000.
His best Grand Slam performances came at Wimbledon, where he reached the semifinals four times (1998, 1999, 2001, and 2002). Henman also made it to the semifinals at the 2004 Roland Garros and the 2004 U.S Open, cementing his legacy as one of Britain’s greatest tennis players.