Not the 'Big Three': Former World No. 4 chooses the greatest player of all time

James Blake knows firsthand what it’s like to face greatness. The former World No. 4 reached the quarterfinals of the US Open twice, won 10 ATP titles, and represented the United States in Davis Cup victories and Olympic matches. His career, marked by his incredible comeback after a near career-ending injury, saw him go head-to-head with tennis legends like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. But when it comes to naming the greatest of all time, Blake’s answer goes beyond men’s tennis.

Back in 2022, Blake didn’t hesitate to put Serena Williams at the top of the GOAT conversation. “I’m putting her in the category of GOAT athlete of all time,” Blake said while commenting for ESPN during the US Open. “Not any qualifiers, not female, not tennis player. She’s up there with [Michael] Jordan and [Tiger] Woods and [Wayne] Gretzky.”

Williams retired with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the second-most by any player in the Open Era, only after Djokovic’s 24 titles. She also captured 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with her sister Venus and held the No. 1 singles ranking for a total of 319 weeks.

Serena Williams at the 2020 US Open ( Al Bello/Getty Images)

And what about the Big Three?

In 2022, Blake, while talking for the official US Open YouTube channel, also weighed in on the debate surrounding Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. But unlike with Serena, he couldn’t choose one. “Six, seven years ago, I would have said Roger’s running away with this,” he admitted, referring to Federer’s dominance when he reached 20 Grand Slam titles.

Then came Djokovic’s surge. “About two years ago, I would have said this is going to be an absolute runaway for Novak,” Blake said, before also including Nadal’s run while claiming his 21st Grand Slam title.

“So I don’t want to say right now that any one of them is hands down the best, because I think it keeps changing,” Blake said about the eternal debate between the Big Three.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer during the ATP Heritage Celebration in 2013 (Dipasupil/Getty Images)

He also acknowledged the special rivalry they shared. “But as a fan, we got to see all three of them. I mean, hands down, they’re the three greatest of all time in men’s tennis. We got to see them all play at the same time, in the same era. It’s incredible as a fan,” he said.

So, while Blake left the men’s GOAT discussion open, acknowledging the extraordinary level of competition, when it comes to all-time greatness, he was definitive: Serena Williams stands at the top.