Well, I still think that either Lendl or Sampras would have whooped his ***
Aha, ha, ha ha aaaaha, ha ha ahaaa ha hahah a... hhhh ahaaaahaaa
Sorry, lost it there, by what subjective or objective criteria do you define freakish? If that isn't an indication of how good he is, then he ain't ever going to persuade you, so you may as well step out of the discussion.
FFS his stats stand out against all.
The only thing he hasn't done is all 4 slams in a season. The fact that he has been dominating the seedings for ages also appears to have passed you by...
When Nadal, who is a very good player, don't get me wrong, reaches the same figures as Federer, then I'll happily admit he's better. Until then, Federer is the best, he plays a varied game that has taken very little toll on his body, unlike Nadal who's already creaking at the joints due to his hyper-athletisism.
It's like all the hype of TW and the majors. As Nicholson has oft said (or words that effect) "until he (TW) gets more majors, I've still got the record". We're not dealing in ifs and buts, but in achievements to date.
It is normal for men to cry. He is an emotional and competitive player. Believe me, he is the reason I got interested in tennis. Since I come from India, we are only interested in one sport i.e cricket. I like the way he carries himself on and off the court. Even I cried that day when he lost the Wimbledon title to nadal.