The former tennis player and current Eurosport commentator Mats Wilander believes that Novak Djokovic has survived the years of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s domination of men’s tennis, carving out an absolute place for himself in the world of tennis.
With Rafa’s retirement after the Davis Cup Finals, Nole will be the only survivor of the Big 3, the three tennis players who have rewritten the history of tennis. 66 Slam titles between the three of them and a twenty-year domination of the entire men’s Tour, monopolized by the three champions.
“I think Novak will feel very proud. I mean, sad in a way, but he has lived through the storm. Yes, he is younger than both Roger and Rafa, and Andy Murray and him, I think, are the same age or pretty close, but he has survived all of that. He is the most successful tennis player ever. I think he will be proud of that. I think he sees more than anyone the effect that Federer and Nadal have had on Alcaraz, Sinner and the guys behind him. I think Novak has felt the effect of the two greats, Rafa and Roger, more than any other player. That will make him feel very good because he has been a part of it. And Novak’s effect is very evident when you talk about the physicality of all the players today,” said the Swede.
And according to Wilander, Djokovic is on a different journey in the final part of his career.
“I think Novak is on a different path than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He’s surpassed them in Grand Slam victories and basically every record worth counting. So I think there’s no threat, obviously, from Rafael Nadal to Djokovic. At least, I don’t think so now. I think he’s told all of us: Hey, I want to keep playing because these guys, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and the rest, they’re so good and they push me to be better and better and better. Maybe he’s not as good as he used to be, but for him, he’s giving his best every day, and he’s still doing that after his knee surgery,” Wilander said.