Among the names that made history by lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen is Sue Barker. The former World No. 3 won the French Open in 1976, her first and only major title out of the 15 she claimed throughout her career. After retiring, she dedicated herself to tennis commentary for 20 years and has a clear stance on the “greatest of all time” debate between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
After Djokovic broke Federer’s Grand Slam record of major singles matches played among men and women (429) in the 2025 Australian Open, Baker spoke to talkSPORT about the GOAT debate. “As the record books say, absolutely he is [the greatest]. 24 Grand Slams. He was just unbeatable for so long,” she said.
“A lot of people will say Roger Federer did a lot more for the game and has more popularity, possibly,” Barker added. “But Novak Djokovic, there’s no question. In the era that he was in, with Rafa [Nadal], with Roger, with Andy [Murray], to win the Grand Slams that he won time and time again, it’s just incredible.”
Barker is not the only legend that has distinguished between being the best in terms of titles, records and statistics, and being the most popular or the player with the most impact in the sport as Bjorn Borg, Matts Wilander or Marc Rosset have expressed similar views.
Sue Baker worked as BBC correspondant (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Federer, Djokovic and Nadal defined a tennis era
Federer started his professional career in 1998 at 16 years old, playing against an Argentinian opponent who defeated him in his first match. The Swiss star then began climbing the rankings and winning matches before claiming his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003.
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From that point on, Federer continued adding trophies to his collection, becoming the first man to win 15 Grand Slam titles in the Open Era. He broke Pete Sampras’ record of 14 by winning the French Open in 2009, simultaneously completing his career Grand Slam.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal was also making history, proving nearly unbeatable on clay. As their rivalry became iconic, Novak Djokovic began his Grand Slam journey by winning the Australian Open in 2008, the first of his record-breaking 10 titles at the tournament. The Serbian’s rise created a three-way rivalry that defined one of the most thrilling eras in tennis. He leads the head-to-head record against Federer (27-23) and Nadal (31-29).
Federer and Djokovic playing doubles for the 2018 Laver Cup (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for The Laver Cup)
With Federer and Nadal now retired, the Swiss legend finished his career with 20 major titles after a resurgence in 2017, becoming the first man to reach that milestone. Meanwhile, Nadal is tied with Steffi Graf at 22 major titles, including his unprecedented 14 French Open victories.
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Currently, Novak Djokovic holds the record for the most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, male or female, with 24, surpassing Serena Williams’ 23. Margaret Court also won 24 majors, though most came before the Open Era. Additionally, Djokovic holds the record for the most Masters 1000 titles, with 40.
