Roger Federer is a “category apart” if compared to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, according to influential tennis figure Ion Tiriac.

It has been close to two years since Federer called time on his career at the Laver Cup in 2022, though the Swiss still leaves a large legacy over the sport.

The 43-year-old spent 310 weeks as world No 1 during his career and won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, alongside a Davis Cup triumph for Switzerland and 103 ATP Tour singles titles in total.

The Swiss is widely recognised as one of the most graceful tennis players of all time and still has a significant following across the world, highlighted by the release of the documentary 12 Final Days earlier this year.

Federer’s career was largely defined by his rivalries with Nadal and Djokovic, and both men have gone on to overtake his Grand Slam haul over the past decade or so.

But former player, agent, and tournament owner Tiriac – considered the richest man in tennis – still believes that Federer is far apart from the Spaniard and Serbian in one area.

“Actually, I know very little about Roger Federer but he always respected me,” said Tiriac. “Like the other stars on the tour, he calls me the chef.

“I sincerely think that he is really a category apart if we compare him to Nadal or Djokovic for example. He’s a player who invented things on a tennis court that didn’t exist.

“Physically, he was always a little below Djokovic and Nadal, but the talent he had in his hands is a certainty.”

Federer played Nadal 40 times, trailing the head-to-head 16-24, while he faced Djokovic a staggering sixty times, holding a 23-27 record against the current world No 2.

However, while he has seemingly lost ground to 22-time major champion Nadal and 24-time winner in the ‘GOAT’ debate in recent years, he is still held in extremely high esteem.

A ranking of the 100 greatest sports stars this century by ESPN placed the Swiss higher than both of his two rivals.

Federer was ranked sixth, with Djokovic in 11th and Nadal in 12th.