Where Wayne Gretzky ranked Roger Federer among the greatest athletes in history in 2017

Story byPhoto by Kelly Defina/Getty ImagesMax KilhamMon, March 2, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC·3 min readRoger Federer enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career in 2017, winning two Grand Slam titles. The Swiss maestro, who went on to win 20 Grand Slam titles before his retirement in 2022, defeated Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final and Marin Cilic in the Wimbledon showpiece event. Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/Federer is undoubtedly one of the greatest athletes in history, and in 2017, Federer had accumulated the most Grand Slam men’s singles titles in tennis history, ahead of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFederer’s success has earned him admiration and respect from his peers, not least from ice hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky. Wayne Gretzky said Roger Federer should be ranked in the same category as Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and PeleWayne Gretzky is widely regarded as the greatest player in ice hockey history. The Canadian star has scored more points and registered more assists than any other player in NHL history. Remarkably, Gretzky also has more assists than any other player has total career points. Photo by B Bennett/Bruce Bennett Studios via Studios/Getty ImagesIn 2017, a month after witnessing Federer win his seventh Wimbledon title, Gretzky claimed that the Swiss superstar deserved to be considered as one of the greatest ever across all sports. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Canadian went as far as to suggest that Federer was one of the three or four greatest athletes in history.“He deserves to be up there with guys like Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and Pele,” Gretzky said in an interview with Sportsnet in Montreal, as reported by the Tennis Channel.“He’s a special man. He’s got charisma.