Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi are like Einstein, thinking of something that nobody had thought of before: Ivan Ljubicic

Ivan Ljubicic recently compared Roger Federer, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to legendary inventor Albert Einstein, pointing out how all of them have been groundbreaking in their respective fields. Ljubicic also claimed that Federer took tennis to uncharted territory by eclipsing Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Major titles - a feat that was previously thought to be impossible.

Roger Federer, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are easily among the greatest sportspersons of all time. Their astounding feats have given a new dimension to tennis and football, not unlike how Albert Einstein had done with his revolutionary ideas in physics.

While speaking on Alistair McCaw’s podcast, Ivan Ljubicic marveled at how Roger Federer broke new ground in tennis by surpassing Pete Sampras' record. The Croat believes that the likes of Federer, Messi and Ronaldo have set the bar higher than anybody could have ever imagined.

"You know, I remember going up and looking at Sampras winning his 14th Slam and people thought 'Okay, my God, this nobody will ever, you know, get anywhere near'," Ljubicic said. "And then you see these guys, especially Roger because he was the one who was doing it first. You know, they go into the territory that nobody has ever been there? You know, and the same thing with Ronaldo and Messi, you know, they're scoring huge amount of goals that have never been done before."

"So this I admire incredibly these athletes, (they) were able to do something that has never been done before," the Croat added. "This is something, it's like the inventors, you know, like Einstein. How do you think of something that nobody has thought about before?"

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ljubicic went on to stress that Federer, Messi and Ronaldo possess an incredible amount of self-belief, which helps them scale new heights consistently.

"I mean, what does make them extraordinary?" Ljubicic said. "It has to be the mindset, you know. You have to be really believing that you can do something that has never been done before and you don't make a big fuss about it."

Ivan Ljubicic on the reasons behind the longevity of athletes like Roger Federer & Cristiano Ronaldo

Roger Federer at Wimbledon 2017

Roger Federer is into his 40th year, while Cristiano Ronaldo will soon turn 36. A decade or so ago, many would have predicted that these two would have been retired by now. And yet the fact remains that both of them are still near or at the top of their respective sports.

Federer may have been hindered by his injuries lately, but the 39-year-old is hopeful of staging yet another remarkable comeback. Ronaldo, on the other hand, continues to plunder goals day in and day out for Juventus.

Ivan Ljubicic believes there are several factors that enhance the longevity of players like Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Croat explained how technological advancements help players train better, eat better and understand the demands of their body more clearly.

Ljubicic also claimed that players like Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ivo Karlovic have set an example for posterity with their ageless achievements.

"Many different reasons," Ljubicic replied when asked what makes Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo so good even in their 30s. "I mean, I think we know more about the bodies, you know, we know more how to train athletes, we know more about nutrition. And then you know, the people just try to do it."

"Again, now people see Ronaldos and Rogers and Karlovics of the world, and they see they're doing it," the Croat continued. "So they say - 'Okay, well, I can do that too.' You know, back in the day nobody played at 35, nobody! You would play senior tour at 35, yeah. So it took somebody extraordinary like Roger to kind of go through it and say, Okay, why not?"