About this episode
After Roger Federer became the only man ever to win eight Grand Slam title singles titles and 19 Grand Slam crowns overall, The Tennis Podcast discussed where he sits in the pantheon of all-time greats - and not just in tennis. Is he better than Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, and Rafael Nadal (who has a winning record against him)? Are his achievements superior to those of Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Usain Bolt? Impossible questions to answer, perhaps, but that doesn’t stop David Law and the Telegraph’s Simon Briggs and Charlie Eccleshare from trying to on the podcast. The debate comes after Federer ruthlessly dispatched Marin Cilic, who’s movement was impeded by a bad blister, to win the title in straight sets. How much of Cilic’s capitulation was physical, and how much was mental and emotional, or did the former lead to the latter? We also review a mixed doubles title for Jamie Murray and Martina Hingis, the doubles successes of Marcelo Melo and Lukas Kubot, and Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makaraova, and the triumphs of Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, and Jordanne Whiley. The Tennis Podcast will return next week with a one-hour special - The Roger Federer Story - in which David Law remembers attending his debut when Federer was 16, and the years that followed. The Tennis Podcast is a downloadable tennis radio show, available on iPhones and android phones and tablets. It is produced in association with Telegraph Sport and Eurosport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.