Roger Federer has again found himself at the center of tennis conversation after his major night on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open was followed by his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. For many supporters, it was further confirmation of why he remains the player they instinctively rank above all others.

That view will always clash with the case for Novak Djokovic, whose numbers are impossible to ignore. Djokovic owns four more Grand Slam titles than Federer, has spent longer at world No 1, and has won more ATP Masters 1000 events than anyone else in the sport.

Yet Federer’s appeal has never been built on statistics alone. For millions, he occupies a place that neither Djokovic nor Rafael Nadal can fully match, even if both have amassed achievements that would make a strong claim in any all-time discussion.

At the start of this century, the men’s game was in transition. Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick were among the leading names, while the closing chapter of the Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi era left tennis waiting for its next defining figure. Federer was long viewed as that player, but his rise was not immediate. In his first five years in Grand Slam tennis, he did not go beyond the quarter-finals in any of the four majors.

Once he won Wimbledon for the first time, everything changed. Over the next four years, Federer collected 11 Grand Slam titles from the 16 he entered, establishing a stretch of dominance that shaped the modern game and built a global following that endured long after.

Nadal drew fierce support as he ended that run and Djokovic arrived with historic ambition and relentless success, but Federer’s elegance still gives him a different kind of reach. As he said in his Amazon documentary earlier this month, Novak Djokovic simply didn’t have any more tennis fans to sweep up when he arrived late to this party.

After Saturday’s emotional Hall of Fame ceremony, the question remains unchanged: one of the greats, certainly, but is he the greatest?

Eight tennis experts have weighed in on the 2026 US Open women’s title race, and Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula all received support. Of that group, one player drew the most votes.

Sabalenka arrives as the reigning champion and world No 1, but her recent results have not matched that status. Since lifting the Miami Open trophy in March, she has not made another final. Elena Rybakina, meanwhile, goes into the event with fitness concerns after an injury in Cincinnati limited her practice time this week.

Pegula, ranked No 3, is again among the leading contenders. She reached the US Open final in 2024 and is still seeking a first Grand Slam title. Gauff, the fourth seed, is also viewed as a major threat after winning the Cincinnati Open. She owns two major titles, with the first coming at the 2023 US Open.

Swiatek’s case is equally strong. The world No 8 is a six-time Grand Slam champion and the 2022 US Open winner, and she also claimed the Canadian Open earlier this month.

Among the eight pundits, Marion Bartoli, Ryan Harrison and Jonathan Overend all chose Gauff. Harrison said: “I expect her to continue on her trend of hot form,” said Harrison.

Overend explained his view in more detail: “She (Gauff) won in Cincinnati and then won the US Open in 2023 so why can’t she do it again this year.

“I’ve been of the opinion that it will all come together for her in the sense that these technical deficiencies that we so often discuss and see on the court in front of our eyes will not so much disappear but will become less obvious.

“I find it hard to believe Gauff will go her entire career with continued deficiencies.”

Martina Navratilova and Naomi Broady backed Swiatek. Broady said: “She’s Iga. She’s playing really well, and I think her ball does a lot of damage on these lively hard courts with the spin and I just feel over the last few weeks she’s got her star power back a bit.”

Laura Robson and Naomi Cavaday went with Pegula, while former world No 4 Tim Henman was the lone analyst to pick Sabalenka to retain her crown.

John McEnroe has chosen Alexander Zverev as his pick for the 2026 US Open men’s singles title, bypassing both Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.

The field has already been reshaped by a series of setbacks. World No 1 Jannik Sinner will not compete in New York because of a knee injury. He has not played since winning his fifth major title at Wimbledon last month. Alcaraz arrives as the defending champion, but has not played a singles match in more than four months after a wrist injury in April. Djokovic, a 24-time major winner, has managed only one match since losing in the Wimbledon semi-finals to Sinner, with that outing ending in an opening-round defeat in Cincinnati.

Speaking to Eurosport, McEnroe made the case for Zverev despite the German’s recent results. “There are strong arguments that he (Zverev) is the favourite for the title,” said the seven-time Grand Slam champion.

“Even though things haven’t gone particularly well for him this summer, I believe he is more confident than ever.

“He played brilliantly at Wimbledon and seemed to be playing at almost his absolute best. Besides, he doesn’t have to play against Sinner.

“In best-of-five sets, he is simply harder to beat because he’s extremely fit.”

McEnroe also predicted that the draw could produce something unexpected. “I actually believe something unusual will happen.

“I’m not sure exactly what, but there are a handful of players who could surprise us in a similar way to how Flavio Cobolli surprised us at the French Open.

“That’s possible because there’s a certain amount of uncertainty surrounding Carlos and Novak. The door is open for about ten players.”

During an appearance on the TODAY show, McEnroe pointed to the possibility of an American breakthrough if Alcaraz does not go all the way.

“I am most excited about Carlos Alcaraz being back playing, he’s been hurt for four months. He had a wrist problem,” said the former world No 1.

“If he doesn’t go all the way, I think the door is more open for the American male players. I’d go with Ben Shelton. But there’s a couple of other guys, Frances Tiafoe.”