The “Big 3”. While the connotation has different explanations to different audiences, everyone unanimously agrees on it being the representative of the triumvirate of tennis stars who have dominated the sport for decades: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic. The mere mention of any of these athletes evokes a sense of reverence that is unparalleled in any sport. But many of this year’s US Open entrants aren’t entirely alien to how it feels to subdue even such legends.

If you thought Novak Djokovic was the only one who ever managed to go and come out as victor against the Swiss maestro or the Spanish hitman, you couldn’t be further from reality. In fact, both Federer and Nadal have lost many matches to many rising Turks over the years, and several of them are making ripples at the 2025 US Open in New York. So, who are these enigmas who boast wins over such legends of the sport?

Frances Tiafoe

While the 27-year-old American star does not have a win over Federer (the 20-time Grand Slam winner came out on top all three times they met), Tiafoe does boast one win against the king of clay. Frances, who has already bagged his first win of the 2025 US Open, and Nadal met thrice, with the former claiming victory over the latter when they met at the New York tournament in 2022.

Nadal picked up back-to-back wins against Tiafoe in the 2019 Australian Open and the ATP Masters 1000 held in Madrid the same year. Taking a note from his seminal career moment from three years ago, Tiafoe will definitely want to end the long drought for the USA male tennis stars at the US Open this year. Tiafoe also has the backing of his peers, which would make his triumphs at the Big Apple all the sweeter, should he manage to go all the way.

Tommy Paul

Paul, another American sensation, also has a win over Rafael Nadal. The two met twice in 2022, at the quarterfinal in Acapulco and in the Round of 32 at the ATP 1000 Masters in Paris. Tommy and the Spaniard shared one win apiece. Sadly, though, the 28-year-old Team USA member never got a chance to cross paths with Federer, so we can only speculate what could have happened if they did. But Paul has already shown his mettle at the 2025 US Open by taking down one of Federer’s fellow Swiss nationals.

In the first round of the year’s last Grand Slam, Paul trounced Elmer Moller at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, underscoring that the faith shown in him by tennis experts wasn’t misplaced. But can the momentum make Tommy Paul the first US Open men’s champion since Andy Roddick did it last in 2003? We’ll have to wait to see!

Stefanos Tsitsipas

The Greek stalwart has gone against both Federer and Nadal multiple times and has held his ground pretty impressively on a few occasions. The retired tennis legend got the better of Tsitsipas in Dubai and in Basel in 2019, while the 27-year-old prevailed at the 2019 Australian Open and in the semifinal of the Nitto ATP Finals.

Stefanos’ record against Nadal is much poorer. The two collided nine times, and the Spanish prodigy emerged victorious seven times. Tsitsipas only won at the 2019 ATP 1000 Masters Madrid (semifinal) and in the quarterfinal of the 2021 Australian Open. The 2020 Olympic quarterfinalist won his first match at the US Open against France’s Alexandre Muller and awaits his clash against Daniel Altmaier next.

Alexander Zverev

German Zverev has four wins over Nadal in their 11 matches, and has also subdued Federer a similar number of times. That’s actually one more win over the Swiss than the latter has against Zverev. Pretty impressive stats, right there. Federer beat Zverev once in an ATP Masters 1000 event, while the German has returned the favor at the same event three times.

At the 2017 ATP MAsters 1000 Canada, Zverev beat Federer to win the tournament. On the other hand, Nadal fares much better at ATP Masters events against Zverev, with the former registering four wins across the world. The two met last time at Roland Garros last year, where Alexander won 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3. Zverev has also won his first match of the 2025 US Open and advanced to the next round.

Andrey Rublev

The 27-year-old Russian has bagged his first victory in the US Open, and will now face the USA’s Tristan Boyer in the second round. As Rublev’s search for his maiden Grand Slam title continues, one should remember that he ought not be discounted by any means. Why? One win over Feder and Nadal each should be enough to assure fans that Andrey has enough in his arsenal to defeat any opposition on a good day.

Both of the wins against these two retired tennis legends came at ATP Masters 1000 events. But he would need to really tap into his reserves if he wishes to win the US Open this year, considering that he could very well cross paths against the likes of Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner if he manages to avoid elimination in the early stages.

So, who among these emphatic stars would be your pick to reign supreme in New York? Tell us!