Where Wayne Gretzky ranked Roger Federer among the greatest athletes in history in 2017

Roger Federer enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career in 2017, winning two Grand Slam titles.

The Swiss maestro, who went on to win 20 Grand Slam titles before his retirement in 2022, defeated Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final and Marin Cilic in the Wimbledon showpiece event.

Federer is undoubtedly one of the greatest athletes in history, and in 2017, Federer had accumulated the most Grand Slam men’s singles titles in tennis history, ahead of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Federer’s success has earned him admiration and respect from his peers, not least from ice hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky.

Wayne Gretzky said Roger Federer should be ranked in the same category as Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and Pele

Wayne Gretzky is widely regarded as the greatest player in ice hockey history. The Canadian star has scored more points and registered more assists than any other player in NHL history.

Remarkably, Gretzky also has more assists than any other player has total career points.

In 2017, a month after witnessing Federer win his seventh Wimbledon title, Gretzky claimed that the Swiss superstar deserved to be considered as one of the greatest ever across all sports.

The Canadian went as far as to suggest that Federer was one of the three or four greatest athletes in history.

“He deserves to be up there with guys like Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and Pele,” Gretzky said in an interview with Sportsnet in Montreal, as reported by the Tennis Channel.

“He’s a special man. He’s got charisma. He’s got style. He’s got class. He’s a winner. He loves this sport. He’s got a passion for the game. You know, he’s a little bit like Gordie Howe was. He’s just a special man.”

“You go back to the McEnroe days and obviously Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg and people thought, ‘Well, are we ever going to get a guy as good as that guy?’

“All of a sudden this guy [Federer] comes along and might be as good as all those guys combined.”

Roger Federer’s last Grand Slam title

In 2018, Federer met Marin Cilic once again in a Grand Slam final.

Federer had won matches against the likes of Tomas Berdych and Hyeon Chung on his way to the final, while Cilic had knocked out top seed Rafael Nadal on his way to the championship showpiece.

In a back-and-forth affair, Federer emerged victorious, defeating the Croat 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

It was Federer’s sixth and final Australian Open title, equalling the record totals of Roy Emerson and Novak Djokovic, who now has 10 to his name.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Federer was asked about equalling the record.

He said: “I mean, ‘equalling’? I don’t know how to explain you, it doesn’t matter.

“It’s about living the emotions that I went through tonight again at the trophy ceremony, going through a tough rollercoaster match, five-setter against Cilic, who is a great player, and then getting No. 6 here, No. 20 overall. It’s just a very special moment.

“Defending my title from last year, sort of the fairytale continues. That’s what stands out for me, maybe not equaling Emerson or Novak.

“They had their own unbelievable careers. I admire what they’re doing and have done with Emo. Yeah, it’s definitely a very special moment in my life again.”