I think you're confusing favorites with objective assessment. My favorite is Nadal. Always has been, always will be. Has nothing to do with his accomplishments as I was a fan way before he cemented himself as an all-time great.
Also, your logic is losing me here. You were the one who brought up the fact that Federer is overrated by pundits (you didn't use that word, but you pretty much said as much). I'm not assuming a value on anyone. Surely, since you think he's being held on a higher pedestal than he deserves, then you are assigning certain value to him. I'm merely trying to understand what exactly is that value, because you said so much of his accomplishments are due to weak competition. I brought up Djokovic to show how this can also apply to other players, not to try to suggest that you're a Djokovic fan.
I hear where you're coming from so let me try to explain my position a little better.
I do think that Federer is overrated by the pundits, media, fans, et al. That's not a knock on Federer because he can't control what they do or say. That doesn't detract one bit from the fact that he's a great player. There is no doubt about that. I don't feel that his accomplishments are negated by weak competition because Federer had to go on court for the last thirteen years despite his talent and mentally fight daily to remain the alpha dog. Can you imagine how tiring that must have been along with the pressure from media and fans to stay on top. He never wavered and maintained the good fight. I don't see how anyone can not respect what he has done for the game. What I am saying is that let's not over inflate his, or anyone else's accomplishments because life is also about timing and in my opinion he did step into a vacuum with the old guard phasing out and the new guard being young and inexperienced.
That is not Federer's fault, but that is a factor IMO. I agree that the same can be said of Djokovic. There was a vacuum there too. Rafa has been injured off and on the last few years, Federer is aging and again we have a new guard who are still finding that way on the tour. That doesn't mean that Novak isn't a great player. He is. Same as Federer, but we also have to look at the circumstances of how anyone comes to prominence.
That being said, no matter how good anyone is I don't believe in idolizing anybody or setting them apart. That's just my nature. But, I have to agree with you that Federer is better than Andy not because he's beat him in big matches, skill wise I can't say someone is better than anyone else because it's about more than tennis skills that wins matches. It's the intangibles. It's the heart, the mindset, and the willingness to accept the pressure consistently. Federer has demonstrated that countless times in big matches over Andy, (Novak too) so I'll accept that you are right about that.
I understand all of your points and see why you would feel that way. Your points make sense. The only difference is that I don't feel the same way. I also want to thank you for being reasonable and sticking to the issue. We don't have to agree, but we should always respect each other. I appreciate your way of handling a dispute. I hope this clears the issue up, if not, feel free to ask me what I'm saying because what's in my mind doesn't always translate in words.
