"Roger Federer would've stopped at 17 Grand Slams if Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic hadn't appeared" - Andrea Petkovic

Roger Federer wouldn't have won more than 17 Grand Slam titles if it weren't for Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, according to former tennis professional Andrea Petkovic.

Petkovic, a former World No. 9, was recently a guest on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast where she talked about rivalries in tennis, among other things. The 35-year-old started a segment off by saying that Iga Swiatek having tougher competition was actually good for the Pole, as it can push her to even greater accomplishments.

"I was so excited at the beginning of the year when Sabalenka won the Australian Open because I know from my personal experience and just from watching tennis for almost 20 years now, how important rivalries are," Petkovic said.

"I was worried if Iga Swiatek just dominates the tour for the next three, four years, that she won't get better and won't improve as a tennis player," she added.

Petkovic believes there is such a worry on the men's side currently, as many have predicted that Carlos Alcaraz, who has won two Grand Slam titles even before turning 21, will dominate for years to come. She used the case of the Big-3 (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic) to emphasize her point that a lack of rivalries was dangerous.

"That is a danger. If we put ourselves back into the shoes around 2009, when Roger Federer broke Pete Sampras' number. If Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic hadn't appeared on the tour, he would've stopped at 17 [Grand Slam titles]. A 100%. We would've never seen these numbers," Petkovic said.

The German believes that in tennis, a push like that is needed for "masterpieces" to be created.

"That's the most important thing, not only in sports, [but also] in politics and art, where ever it is needed to create something really great, to create masterpieces, or to become the best at what you do, you need those rivalries," she said.

"I was so excited when Sabalenka and Rybakina found that consistency and started winning those big tournaments," Petkovic added.

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Roger Federer comparison can be 'dangerous', according to Ivan Ljubicic

Ivan Ljubicic and Roger Federer at the Nitto ATP Finals

Roger Federer's former coach and friend Ivan Ljubicic recently gave his thoughts on people comparing players in the current era to the Swiss maestro.

Federer is understandably considered one of the greatest sportsmen of all time, but according to Ljubicic, it is not always good to compare upcoming players to him.

Italy's Lorenzo Musetti has often been compared with Federer, mostly because of the technique he possesses. Ljubicic feels that such a comparison is not helpful as it only adds excess pressure.

"It's a dangerous speech. Just look at what happened to [Grigor] Dimitrov, who really was a photocopy of Roger," Ljubicic told Gazzetta.

The Croat said he didn't want to compare Musetti to Federer as that could be counterproductive to the Italian.

"Heavy comparisons that create expectations that can hurt a player. I don't think Lorenzo looks that much like Federer," Ljubicic stated.

"He has great technique, makes you dream, but maybe we want to use his talent to fill the void of beauty that Roger has left. And that can be risky for a guy who's looking for his style and still shaping it," he added.