From schoolyard to tennis forum, garden party to ATP tour, it’s hard to escape the cliché ‘greatest of all time’ talk on the back of Roger Federer’s record 15th Grand Slam triumph. Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus, Pele or Maradona, nearly every major sport lends itself to such a debate.

To claim Federer is playing in a less competitive era than Sampras is a myth, in fact it’s a case of wishful thinking on behalf of Pistol Pete fans. Sampras supporters conveniently blur the boundaries of time when reeling off the stiff competition he faced. The likes of Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg weren’t really part of the Sampras era, and Boris Becker’s impact did not stretch beyond 1996. Just like Pete had one true nemesis in Andre Agassi, Roger Federer has Rafael Nadal. The likes of Gustavo Kuerten, Jim Courier and Pat Rafter may all have symbolised stern competition in the Sampras era, but the likes of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and a prime Lleyton Hewitt are no mugs.

The fact is, Roger has now surpassed Pete’s record, and it’s quite plausible he will achieve twenty Grand Slam titles before he sails off into the sunset. The period between 2005 and 2007 saw an invincible Federer win 8 out of 10 Grand Slams, and lay claim to the greatest sportsman on the planet.

The Rod Laver bandwagon is another thing Federer fans have to de-rail. The most frustrating thing is, that the majority of Laver ‘greatest of all time’ proponents have never even see the Australian play. It seems hypocritical to flaw Federer’s case for being the ‘GOAT’ by undermining statistical relevance (15 Grand Slams), only to say, ‘oh, Laver would have would more Grand Slams had he been active for those five years’.  

Where as Rod Laver’s achievements are incredible, the ATP tour pales into insignificance of the tour today, in terms of volume, intensity and prestige. Levels of fitness  are undoubtedly better now, and even Laver has admitted, that Federer is the greatest.

Steve Bierley in the Guardian suggests that Rafael Nadal’s head to head superiority undermines Federer’s status as the greatest of the modern era; ‘All those five slam finals he has lost have been against Nadal, while the last three he has won have seen the Spaniard either absent, as at Wimbledon, or knocked out before the final - by Andy Murray at Flushing Meadows and Sweden's Robin Soderling in Paris, both of whom lost to Federer in the final.’ Bierley seems to think Nadal has a divine right to be in a Grand Slam final. The fact is, greatness is achieved by showing consistency and besting the whole field, something which the Spaniard has failed to do on two occasions. It seems convenient to blame Nadal’s premature exit at Roland Garros on injury, even though the Spaniard didn’t retire. Fitness is an attribute just like any other, and Roger Federer has it in abundance.  

Then there’s the grace and elegance of Roger Federer’s playing style. As well as a devilishly accurate serve (Federer actually hit more aces than Roddick in the Wimbledon final), the Swiss maestro boasts a sumptuous one handed backhand, a punishing forehand and a deft aura to his racket that no other player really has on tour. Add these attributes to excellent agility round court and a strong winning mentality, and you have a great champion. Where as Nadal is a hulking mass hell bent on using power to blow his opponents away, the slighter Federer relies on immortal technique and classy stroke play, making his game so easy on the eye.

It seems that the strongest argument against granting Federer the impregnable title of ‘the greatest of all time’ stems from the legitimacy of such a title in the first place, as opposed to an alternative player case. Given the contrast in competition and equipment over the decades, a definitive answer  may be deemed unobtainable. But human curiosity is also a given, and sport and debate is rightly intertwined. One of the fundamental beauties of sport is that it engages different generations in debate – grandfather can argue with grandson over ‘who was the greatest’. And in this debate, Word Number One and 15 times Grand Slam winner Roger Federer’s just hit the forehand winner.