Kid reporter asks Roger Federer why he’s called the G.O.A.T. at the US Open

Roger Federer says he doesn’t know why fans call him the G.O.A.T., but it’s hard to believe him.

On Tuesday, a very cute fan at the US Open asked the 19-time major champion why he’s often referred to by the nickname even though there is not a lot of livestock in his native Switzerland. Federer, always the coolest guy in the room, laughed off the question before responding that he wasn’t sure.

“Some fans call me that; I don’t call myself that,” Federer said. “But yeah, we have a lot of animals in Switzerland and goats are part of the livestock we have over there, yes.”

G.O.A.T., of course, stands for Greatest of All Time, which Federer arguably is in the sport of tennis at age 36. Our young reporter here seems unaware of the acronym, instead thinking that Federer’s fans were literally nicknaming him after a farm animal.

That’s not quite the case, but Federer takes the question in stride before the kid pivots to a new question (“a serious question,” as he noted). Even if he won’t call himself the G.O.A.T., fans across the globe will be glad to take up that cause for him.