Stan Smith says Laver, Sampras & Borg are at par with the Big 3, claims Roger Federer would have had great success with a wooden racket

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic are widely considered the three greatest players in the history of the sport. But former World No. 1 Stan Smith reckons Pete Sampras, Rod Laver, and Bjorn Borg are at par with the Big 3.

Smith also believes Federer is the only player in the current era who would have found success playing with the wooden rackets from yesteryear.

Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal have dominated the sport over the last couple of decades, winning a combined 60 Grand Slams. The Big 3 have thwarted numerous players from different generations, and even now, continue to scale new heights.

As such, Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal are widely regarded as the GOATs of tennis. But two-time Slam champion Stan Smith believes Pete Sampras, Rod Laver, and Bjorn Borg deserve to be held in the same regard. However, Smith did admit that the current era is "special."

"I think there are six that are the best in history. Sampras, Laver, Borg and the Big 3," Stan Smith said while speaking on La Nacional. "Fortunately these three continue to play. Tennis fans around the world had the opportunity to see three of the best at the same time. It is a special era, which will end in a few years."

Stan Smith with Kei Nishikori (L) and Novak Djokovic at the 2018 US Open

Stan Smith was then asked to name a present-day player who he believes could have achieved success with a wooden racket. Smith named Roger Federer, explaining that the Swiss' playing style would have worked well in the olden days.

Tennis was mostly played with wooden rackets until about the late 1970s. Wooden rackets gave players less margin for error as they had a small head size and an even smaller sweet spot.

"I think the only one who would have had great achievements is Roger Federer, because he has a very fair, precise style of play," Smith said. "In fact, for many years he played with a small hoop racket."

Surreal that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have 20 Slams each: Stan Smith

Roger Federer with Rod Laver at the 2019 Laver Cup

During the interview, Stan Smith was asked if he finds it "surreal" that Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic have 20 Slams apiece. The American answered in the affirmative but pointed out that Rod Laver, too, could have ended up with a similar number of Slams.

Laver finished his career with 11 Slams, out of which six came during his days as an amateur from 1956 to 1962. But as professionals were not allowed to compete from 1963 to the end of 1967, Laver missed out on 20 Grand Slam appearances.

He only returned when the Open Era began in 1968, after which he won a further five Majors. As such, many, including Stan Smith, believe that Rod Laver would have won well over 20 Majors had he not missed out on five years on tour.

"Yes (it is surreal), but one of the questions I ask myself about a guy like Laver, who played 17 Grand Slam finals and won eleven, and who did not play the Majors for almost six years, is how many more he could have had," Smith said. "He could well have won ten more titles in those 24 tournaments that he did not play, because he dominated before and after."