"Roger Federer's the one that made it look too easy" - Jill Craybas on why the Swiss appeals more to youngsters than Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Former WTA pro Jill Craybas recently delved into how Roger Federer's playing style has influenced the younger generation. She also compared him with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, both of whom are known for their physical brand of tennis.

Jill Craybas competed on the WTA Tour from 1995 to 2013. During a career that spanned nearly two decades, the American beat the likes of Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters. Craybas also reached a career-high singles ranking of 39 in 2006.

She was recently invited on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast to speak on a variety of topics. At the outset, Craybas was asked by host Chris Bowers whether having a fluid and aesthetic playing style is of great importance to a player.

In her response, the 49-year-old cited Roger Federer as an example, stating that many fans are drawn to the Swiss maestro due to his effortless-looking strokes.

"I think the fact that it's a topic that we have to discuss means that there's some validity to it for sure. Because you asked so many people. And the reason that it is a debate is because there's a reason why people loved watching the beauty of the way how fluid Federer was," Craybas said (3:37). "I mean, he's definitely the one that has made it look too easy, almost to a fault, I think."

"Because all of a sudden, a lot of people felt like they could do what he could do... and a lot of people can't because he made it look so easy," she added.

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"People loved watching Roger Federer play because of how beautiful he was to watch" - Jill Craybas

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer at the 2022 Laver Cup

Jill Craybas also drew comparisons between Roger Federer and his archrivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic with regard to their playing styles.

The American began by emphasizing that the Swiss maestro's game was "beautiful" for a spectator. Craybas then analyzed Nadal and Djokovic's respective playing styles, insisting that the elements of "grit" and "simplicity" were behind their appeal.

"The fact that we're even discussing it means that, yes, I think it's a a huge factor and I think people absolutely loved watching him play because of how beautiful he was to watch," she said during the same podcast (4:10). "People love watching Nadal play because of his grit and his physicality and people love watching Djokovic play because of his simplicity of how he was able to just grind people down."

The former World No. 39 also elaborated on how the younger generation tried to emulate Federer's stroke mechanics.

"But I think yes, I think it is an important factor and I think the way, because of the way Federer has played, I think he's gotten a lot of kids to want to play that way," Craybas said (4:40).

"To... to want a one handed backhand. To, you know, the way he holds his head for 3 seconds longer. I mean, you see kids doing that all the time and to me, that's huge, the way he's been able to impact the younger generation in that way," she added.