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Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerlan wait to go on stage during the ATP Heritage Celebration at The Waldorf=Astoria on in New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerlan wait to go on stage during the ATP Heritage Celebration at The Waldorf=Astoria on in New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
After each Grand Slam tournament, the GOAT debate intensifies among Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Known as the “Big-3” of tennis, they have transcended all boundaries of greatness and continue to dominate year after year. With Nadal having equaled Federer’s record of winning 20 Grand Slam titles, he is likely to move past his arch-rival next season.
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Novak Djokovic of Serbia shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after winning the match point during their final singles match daring day 10 of the ATP Cup at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
Recently, in an interview, French tennis coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, was asked about an explanation behind the invincibility of the Big-3 despite the tennis world moving at a rapid pace. He hailed their longevity and talked about their unwavering determination, making it difficult for players to break their dominance.
“We live in a unique era in the history of our sport since, from- then more than a decade, tennis world is dominated by three players who are considered the most greats of all time, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. So yes, they are steadfast, but it is precisely because they are the best,” said Mouratoglou.
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Since 2017, only one Grand Slam winner has been out of the Big-3. That lone exception has been Dominic Thiem, who won his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2020 US Open. In fact, from 2010 to 2019, the Big-3 have won 33 out of the 40 Grand Slam tournaments.
Mouratoglou backs young talent
However, Serena Williams’ coach believes the young players on the tour will turn the tide in the coming years. He talked about players like Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem winning the big titles, which has resulted in a slight shift already.
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Tennis – ATP Finals – The O2, London, Britain – Russia’s Daniil Medvedev shakes hands with Austria’s Dominic Thiem as he celebrates winning their final match Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
“But there are also several very promising young talents who knock on the door and who will end by finding their place. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Denis Shapovalov, Félix Auger-Aliassime, etc. I believe this new wave will play the leading roles in coming years. They begin to regularly cross the second week in Grand Slam and to beat more experienced players,” remarked Mouratoglou.
The biggest testament to Mouratoglou’s statement has been this year’s ATP Nitto Finals, where Thiem and Medvedev defeated both Nadal and Djokovic to book their place in the final. Having won back-to-back Masters’ title last year at Cincinnati and Paris, Medvedev won his third ATP Masters title at the 2020 Paris Masters.
Interestingly, Thiem is the only player apart from Andy Murray to have 5 career wins each against Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic. Djokovic has lost five of his last seven matches to Thiem, and Nadal has lost 3 of his last four matches to the Austrian.
