Yannick Noah reveals admiration for 'artist' Roger Federer's tennis magic

• Tennis News
• Roger Federer

Yannick Noah called Roger Federer "an artist" and hailed the Swiss tennis icon as someone who was able to make wonders with a tennis racket. In an interview with La Nacion, 1983 French Open champion reflected on the Big Three and the impact they had on tennis.

Noah acknowledged the Big Three's stunning dominance and success but noted that as a tennis spectator, he would have preferred to have seen more variety and more players winning Grand Slams and Masters - not just three players winning pretty much everything for 15 years.

Noah described Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as three completely different personalities and named the Spaniard as his favorite from the group. When it comes to Djokovic, Noah respects the Serb's astonishing success but admits he is not really a big admirer of the 36-year-old.

Noah on Federer, Nadal & Djokovic

"That said, they are three different personalities. Federer was an artist. It is very difficult to survive in such a powerful and strong sport being an artist, which is a virtue of Roger's.

That is something I admire. She did things with the racket that I never saw. Rod Laver did some things, McEnroe did others, but Federer did everything the greats did and more. For a tennis coach, he was the best. Rafa, of the three, is the one I like the most because he respected the ballboys, the transport people, the people when there are no cameras.

If you think about things beyond what people measure, Rafa is number one by far. Rafa won 22 Grand Slams and when you see him he is still the same humble boy as always. For this reason, among the three, he is my favorite. Djokovic? I'm not sorry, but I don't know why.

The other two have more charisma. I'm not attracted to him. When he wins a match point I don't connect with him," Noah said. Now that Federer is gone and Nadal struggling with injuries and planning to retire in 2024, the era of the Big Three is slowly coming to an end. Meanwhile, Djokovic is still a dominant force in the game and he is very likely to be the last Big Three to retire.