Patrick McEnroe reveals what sets Roger Federer apart from Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and others

Patrick McEnroe has claimed that Roger Federer loved playing tennis compared to some of the other greats who laid more emphasis on winning.

McEnroe was speaking to Mary Joe Fernandez, whose husband is Federer's agent, on his podcast "Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe," and the two spoke about the Swiss maestro.

He said that the likes of Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras loved to win. McEnroe added that while Federer too loved to win, the Swiss also just loved to go out on the court and just hit the ball around.

"A lot of players, I tell this to people all the time, some players love to win, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras," Patrick McEnroe said.

"Roger Federer loves to win obviously, that made him one of the greatest ever, but he just... I don't think I've ever met anyone that just loved to go out there and just hit the ball around, a great player as much as him."

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Jimmy Connors won more career singles titles than Roger Federer

Roger Federer in action at the 2022 Laver Cup

Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors are two of the greatest players in tennis history and there is very little to separate the two as far as career titles are concerned.

Connors currently holds the record for the most ATP singles titles won in the Open Era with 109. Federer is second on the list with 103 titles.

While the Swiss was unable to break Connors' record, he is far ahead in Grand Slam wins. Federer has 20 Majors to his name compared to the American's eight. The two have notably won the US Open five times each.

Out of his 109 titles, Connors won 33 on indoor carpet courts and 53 on hard courts (31 outdoor and 22 indoor). He also has 14 clay-court titles while triumphing in nine tournaments on grass.

Most of Federer's singles titles have come on hard courts (71). He won 19 titles on grass while winning 11 on clay. The Swiss maestro also won two tournaments on carpet courts.

Both players have enjoyed some sensational years on tour, with 1974 being Connors' best season by some distance. The American had a 93-4 record with a win percentage of 95.87%. He won three Grand Slams that year, missing out on the French Open because he didn't compete.

The 2005 season was statistically Federer's best as he won 81 out of 85 matches with a win percentage of 95.29%. He won Wimbledon and the US Open that year, beating Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi respectively in the finals.

Federer had a slightly lower win percentage of 94.84% in 2006 but won 92 out of 97 matches with three Grand Slams to his name.