[151][152] Many former top professionals have also spoken about the topic, including Bjrn Borg, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanievi. Additionally, they collectively own the 10 biggest single season payouts ranging from $13.06 million to $21.15 million. Had he been playing in another era, he may well have dominated tennis for a while. He returned to the tour at Indian Wells and struggled much with form, failing to reach the quarterfinals of any of his first five tournaments after surgery. Murrays record against Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic is why, for a time, there was a big four. The win marked his ninth Australian Open title and 18th major title overall, putting him two titles away from tying Federer and Nadal. In a clash of the tennis titans that many had anticipated . Holding the advantage at 27-23 in over 50 battles, the six-time year-end World No. Check here, Be the first one to comment on this story. At the Grand Slam tournaments, the trio are the all-time title leaders; Nadal and Djokovic have each won a record 22 majors, and Federer 20. Relief is probably the word I would use describe how Im feeling just now., He added, Mentally, the last three, four days have been pretty tiring. Djokovic also reached the semifinals without losing a set, but was beaten in five sets by Dominic Thiem in a match that was spread over two days due to rain. Djokovic was the year-end No. He still poses a highly respectable record against the big three though, especially against the current world number one. Attempting to become the third man to complete adouble career Grand Slam, Nadal was stopped by Wawrinka. Mar 1, 2023. [94] Later, he also won the Shanghai Masters, and returned to No. He extended the all-time record for the most men's singles titles and became the third man after Mats Wilander (1982 French Open) and Federer (2017 Australian Open) to defeat four Top-10 players en route to a major title. Look, I'm not trying to be rude towards Nadal but I don't see how he can be considered better than Djokovic when you see what Djokovic did in the fall season and what he did. . A lot of the tennis stars such as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Pete Sampras among the others have held the number 1 rank. Medvedev thus became the twelfth player outside the Big Three to win a major since Federer's first win at 2003 Wimbledon. Although Nadal did not reach the semifinals of either North American Masters event, he returned to world No. Andy MurraydefeatedNovak Djokovicin the2013 Wimbledon Open final, 64, 75, 64 to win the singles tennis title at the All England Club. You look back, a further back, 20 years, and you have the Connors and the Lendls. They are the reason I am where I am today. British tennis player Andy Murray, Daniil Medvedev, Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem, Marin ili and Juan Martn del Potro are the only other tennis players to have won a Major title other than the Big 3. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Never expect to be that strong.. ", "Nadal, Djokovic and Federer built a golden era of men's tennis", "John McEnroe on tennis' golden era and best of all time", "Simply the best: The golden era of men's tennis", "Adjusted for inflation, the ATP's current elite are the best paid ever", "Djokovic Snatches Monumental Victory from Federer", "Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer in US Open semis", "French Open: Roger Federer ends Novak Djokovic run to reach final", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Three_(tennis)&oldid=1141902301, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from June 2022, Articles with dead external links from July 2020, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2022, Articles containing potentially dated statements from February 2023, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2016, Articles containing potentially dated statements from January 2023, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from June 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 13:01. and Juan Martn del Potro are the only other tennis players to have won a Major title other than the Big 3. 1 for the fifth time, despite not reaching the semifinals of ATP Finals. Following his victory, he decided not to play in Cincinnati once again. He then withdrew from the tournament before his semifinal encounter against Nick Kyrgios,[138] the latter of whom then advanced to his first major final. Creator: Cameron Spencer Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2018 Getty Image, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (16 wins against the Fab 3). He was dominant on clay, suffering only one loss on the surface (to Federer at the 2007 Hamburg Masters final) between his breakthrough and the end of 2007. Federer continued his return to form reaching the finals of Toronto and winning his first Masters title since 2012 in Cincinnati. Murray ended the year with two Masters titles for the fourth consecutive year, and five titles in total.[54]. [citation needed], Federer did not participate at the French Open. He reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, but lost to unseeded Marco Cecchinato. James Blake won his first three matches against the Spaniard before losing the next four. The first three on that list have also won 57 . Still, the Australian still generally got the job done against them. Juan Martn del Potro won his first Grand Slam mens singles title at the 2009 US Open, defeating five-time defending championRoger Federerin a five-set thriller. Tennis players who have beaten Nadal, Djokovic and Federer Andy Murray (29 wins against the Fab 3) Andy Murray is one of the undisputed legends of the game. Questions had been asked about 34-year-old Nadal . Federer was defeated in the quarterfinals by Hubert Hurkacz. Players to beat Federer on grass, Nadal on clay and Djokovic on hard: August 5 2012: Andy Murray wins his first big title at London Olympic Games beating Roger Federer in the final in Wimbledon 6-2 6-1 6-4 . The Czech superstar was a Wimbledon finalist and was ranked no.4 during his peak. Also Check Out :-Barcelona Open 2022 Schedule, What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? The defeat saw Nadal slip to seventh in the rankings, his first time outside the top five in more than a decade. Not . ", "Andy Murray's Grand Slam victory gives 'Big Four' extra strength in fight for more prize money", "Andy Murray's Paris title closure on an unforgettable week", "How Andy Murray turned himself into a No. Federer withdrew from the remainder of the 2016 season due to a knee injury, missing the Olympics and US Open.[116]. Carlos Alcaraz is the most likely player to take over after the 'Big-3' era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic comes to an end, reckons Daniil Medvedev. The player who has gotten the better of the Fab 3 most of the time. Each player has occupied the top position at the end of the year at least five times, with Djokovic holding the ATP record with seven. Taking nothing from Australia, Hewitt did have a bit of an upper hand against the young Federer and Nadal. 2 behind Djokovic, winning the French Open and reaching both the Wimbledon and US Open finals (losing both to Djokovic). Defeating the Big 3 of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer is what most players on the ATP tour have aspired to do over the last decade and a half. 1s in singles . However, he still holds a solid record against the Fab 3. In 2015, Stan Wawrinka triumphed over Novak Djokovic to win the French Open title. Stan Wawrinka has won three Grand Slam titles in his career. Djokovic and Murray were third and fourth respectively, both reaching one Grand Slam final apiece. Another - Beating Medvedev anywhere other than a hardcourt will be a top 10 win, but it's not all that impressive. In the final, Nadal prevailed over Thiem for a second consecutive year, winning the tournament for a record-extending 12th time. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic all have credible claims to be considered the best. With the win, Nadal equaled Federer's all-time record of 20 major singles titles and extended his own record to 13 titles from the same major tournament. Following an early loss at Shanghai, Nadal announced that he would skip the remainder of the 2016 season to recover fully from the wrist injury that troubled him earlier in the year. One of those players is Roger Federer. Dominic Thiem has found, if you want to get any major titles in mens tennis, you HAVE to go through at least one of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, or Novak Djokovic. [108] Djokovic emerged victorious over Murray in a five-set match that was spread over two days[109] but succumbed to Wawrinka in the final in four sets. 3,[31] holding the ranking for the entirety of 2008. 1 ranking for the seventh time, surpassing Pete Sampras' all-time record. They have been the most successful mens singles players for the last two decades. The year ended with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer occupying the top-three positions in the rankings. Never expect to be that far in my career. Full list of Roger Federer's defeats on grass: 1. While marveling over Novak Djokovic's 378 weeks as the world's No. [119] Nadal, Murray and Djokovic all lost before the semifinals. Federer went on to win his first French Open title, defeating Sderling in the final. Nadal has won a record 14 French Open titles, Djokovic a record 10 Australian Open titles, and Federer a record eight Wimbledon titles. In fact, the likeable Swiss is just one Wimbledon title away from completing the career slam. At the 2023 Australian Open, Djokovic returned to play and won his 10th Australian open title, matching Nadal's record of 22 men's singles majors. He was dominant even against his fellow Big Four rivals, going 154 against them throughout the year. Djokovic lost in the final to Daniil Medvedev, preventing him from winning a record 21 majors and achieving a Grand Slam, which would have been the first in men's tennis since Rod Laver in 1969. In 2019, the former World No. I dont know how Im going to feel if I win a second one or third one. His breakthrough came in 2003 when he won his first major title at Wimbledon,[19] won the year-end championships, and finished the year as the world No. Djokovic defeated Nadal for the first time at the French Open in a straight-sets quarterfinal. Many young players who rise up the ranks nowadays point to either of . Daniil Medvedevtriumphed overNovak Djokovicin the 2021 US Open final, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to win the mens singles tennis title. [163][164] It has also been argued that the dominance of the Big Four has made the game predictable[165] or even boring. 1 in true Big-4 style", "New Big 5: Is Marin ili the real deal? The "nearly great if not for Federer" Andy Roddick had enough overlap between eras and lodged career wins over all of the. ", "Is the Dominance of the Big Three Good for Tennis? Feb 11, 2023 #107 TheNachoMan said: Nadal's only had one 3 slam season. Alcaraz, 19, is also the youngest player to defeat an ATP World No. Federer excelled in the men's doubles event and captured the gold medal, while Djokovic lost in the first round, and Murray and Nadal in the second. Having suffered from injury-plagued seasons, Nadal and Federer ended the year at number nine and 16 respectively. "I have to pay a great tribute to Rafa and Roger. They made me realise what I had to do to improve. Whereas Djokovic has 21 titles, winning the most recent at the 2022 Wimbledon Open. While Federer came out on top of their first four encounters, taking 10 consecutive sets from a youthful Djokovic in 2006-2007 during a time when he was the undisputed No. The 2020 season was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 3 defeated the Serb in the group stage, while he prevailed over the World No. Despite Nadal going up two sets to love, Medvedev responded furiously and claimed the next two sets. It was an incredibly tough match. The early 2000s were seen as a time of transition in tennis, with older champions retiring and a few players breaking through at the very top of the game. Please logout and login again. Dominic Thiem has met Roger Federer only once on grass so far -- in the semifinals of the 2016 Stuttgart Open. Thiem has a solid record against Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic. [129] Djokovic was disqualified from the tournament during his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreo-Busta after inadvertently striking a ball at a line judge after conceding a break. Berdych beat Federer and Djokovic at Wimbledon 2010 before losing to Nadal in the final. Interestingly, the 37-year-old is only a Wimbledon title away from completing the career slam. [143] Federer has delivered the most bagels against the other two with four, while receiving only one.[144]. But then best ever? Federer's record on grass after his Halle exit stands at 188-28 with an 87% success rate. 1, has been No. In the previous year he lost the US Open final to he Scotsman. He competed for Serbia in the 2008. 1 for a record seven years, with Federer and Nadal at five each, and Murray at one. Wawrinka is the only active player outside the Big Four to have won multiple Slam titles with three (the same number as Murray), defeating Djokovic and Nadal on the way to the 2014 Australian Open title, Federer and Djokovic to win the 2015 French Open, and Djokovic to win the 2016 US Open. [4], The Big Four was used to describe the larger quartet of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Andy Murray from about 2008 to 2017, though the term is occasionally still used when referring to the group in that period. Over the past two decades, men's tennis has had Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and also Federer and Novak Djokovic. A third loss, to Djokovic in the final of the Rome Masters, was the first time Nadal had lost more than two matches on clay in a season for a decade. The match equalled the record of US Openfinal duration in theOpen Era. Djokovic was defeated by Karen Khachanov in the final. On all the three occasions he defeated the world No. [13] Djokovic has been a dominant player since the beginning of 2011, gradually approaching or surpassing Federer and Nadal's career achievements. Between 2005 Australian Open and 2014 Australian Open, this was the only major not won by a member of the Big Four. [5][6][7] They have been a critical part of what has been labelled a new "Golden Era" in tennis.[8][9][10][11]. I'm not making something up. 1 for a record 378 weeks, Federer for 310 weeks, Nadal for 209 weeks, and Murray for 41 weeks. Federer's run marked a record-breaking eleventh Wimbledon final and eighth title. In a recent press conference, Djokovic shared his thoughts on the next generation of tennis players and his own legacy in the sport. 1 in straight sets. However, there are a few players who have a winning record against him. The results, are there, no? Nadal opted to skip the US Open, citing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, while Federer withdrew due to a knee injury. Your login session has . There is a theme here, right? [146] Following the 2010 Australian Open, Federer had 16 titles, Nadal 6, and Djokovic 1, the peak of Federer's lead over Nadal and Djokovic. Those weren't good either? 1 ranking on 5 November to Djokovic, who ended the a second consecutive season there. The Big Three have given birth to one of the. All four players qualified for the year-end championships, which Djokovic won. There, Nadal was upset by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals despite taking a two-sets-to-love lead, while Djokovic successfully defended his title by beating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. 1 and remained there until July 2012, when he was overtaken by Federer, who reclaimed the top spot for the first time in two years. Likewise, Federer is the only player to have beaten Djokovic at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, the US Open, and the French Open. It was his thirdGrand Slamtitle. As 2013 came to a close, Federer's fall in the rankings prompted many sources to debate whether the dominance of the Big Four had ended. Among the three Rafa holds the all-time total titles record at 22. 1 player and wondering .