“A Golden Generation”: Tennis Legend Lauds Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Published 11/12/2020, 6:33 AM EST

Six-time Grand Slam champion Stefan Edberg was lost for words when he spoke about the ‘Big 3’ of tennis – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. The veteran named this era as one of the golden periods of tennis.

In a conversation with KickServeRadio.com, Edberg placed the rivalry and legacy of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic at the pinnacle of the sport and even claimed that the Big 3 will be unmatched in the next 100 years. He said:

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“Going to Roger Rafa and Novak like I’ve said many many, many times, this is an incredible generation, a golden generation. We may not see anything like it for the next hundred years.”

The dominance of Big 3 can be traced back to 2003 when Federer won his first Grand Slam. Since then there have been 71 Grand Slams, of which the Big 3 have won 57. This amounts to an 80.3 win percentage in the favor of the Big 3. Federer and Nadal have each won 20 and Djokovic has won 17. This shows the sheer dominance the trio had. He said:

“Having three players dominating the game totally for 15 years basically winning every Grand Slam and the Masters series.”

Stefan Edberg on healthy competition between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic

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How have the Big 3 ensured they remain competitive for close to two decades? They have learned from each other. Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic over the years have seen each other and tweaked their own style to remain competitive. Due to their intense rivalry and competition, they have evolved every year, and this has made the rest of the players play catch up with them.

Edberg said, “And why start while they are incredible. They are incredible as tennis players They always want to get better. And they’re competing with each other, and they’re seeing what the other ones are doing. So it’s been really healthy for all of them to have the competition. It’s a very, very special time for tennis.”

With Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic on the other side of 30s, there will be an obvious decline from them. But still, they are ahead of the current generation. Who do you think will eventually lead tennis into the new era?

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Written by:

Bhavishya Mittal is a tennis author for EssentiallySports, who is currently pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Manipal University. A former sports editor for The Manipal Journal, Bhavishya has also worked for The New Indian Express. He has a keen eye for many sports but he is a particularly ardent follower of tennis, with a zest to create riveting articles on the ever-evolving sport.

“A Golden Generation”: Tennis Legend Lauds Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Stefan Edberg on healthy competition between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic

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