The Big 3 revolutionized men’s tennis and brought it to a new dimension. The rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal brought many people closer to this sport, before Novak Djokovic made his breakthrough shocking the whole world and breaking almost all records.
The Serbian champion has entered into the rivalry between the Swiss and Spaniard, creating more epic matches and winning 24 Grand Slam titles. Rafa made it to 22 Majors thanks to his exploits at the 2022 Australian Open and the 2022 French Open, while Federer remained stuck with 20 Grand Slam titles after the atrocious hoax at Wimbledon 2019.
The Swiss retired from tennis in 2022 due to a serious knee injury and also for Rafa the retirement seems very close. The Spanish champion has not achieved much this year and is taking some time to decide his future. Novak is still competitive and has just won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, but the rise of young talents like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has prevented him from winning Grand Slam titles in 2024. The 37-year-old from Belgrade will try to win his 25th Major at the US Open later this month, even beating Margaret Court’s all-time record.
Steve Johnson on the Big 3
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were models of reference for all young players. In the latest edition of the podcast ‘Nothing Major’, former American ace Steve Johnson paid tribute to the Big 3: “Roger, Rafa, Novak, this is obviously a crazy statement but, like Novak, he’s the easiest to play of the three because he lets you play tennis. Roger comes forward and just suffocates you, Rafa just bullies you around the court and Novak, makes you miss and he makes your targets become so incredibly small, it’s damn near impossible.”
The Big 3 (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic) have had an extraordinary longevity, continuing to win a lot even after they passed 30. During a recent interview, Djokovic revealed next Big 3 of the ATP tour: “Carlos, Jannik and Holger are the big three. The next big three, if you want to call them. They are going to carry this sport. I will hang on for as long as I feel like hanging on. As long as I’m able to win against them on the big stage. I’ll still keep going because why stop if you’re still winning the biggest titles. Once they start to kick my butt, then I will consider probably having a little break or maybe a permanent break from professional tennis.”
Carlos Alcaraz has never hidden his desire to be the heir of the Big 3 and become one of the best players of all time. “I want to be one of the best in history. I am dreaming that big. I want to sit [at] the same table as the ‘Big Three’ [Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer], legends of our sports” – Carlitos said.
“Honestly, I don’t think too much about it. I just kind of live in the moment, live in the present. If I look back, [of course] I’ve achieved great things so far, but it’s something that I don’t want to think about and I want to keep going” – he added. “In Spain, we have a lot of players to practice, a lot of places, amazing players. We eat well, the weather,” he noted. “I’m really proud of the country that I am [from] and I think that’s something super great for Spain, for Spanish sport and, obviously, for myself” – he concluded.
Who will be the next Big 3?
Alcaraz and Sinner will be the big dominators of men’s tennis in the next decade and have already achieved outstanding results, but they will have to go a long way to get closer to the level of the Big 3.
Recently, Holger Rune opened up on the future of ATP tour: “We [Sinner, Alcaraz, and Rune] cannot compare ourselves at all yet to Novak, Rafa and Roger. But the fact people are starting to talk about the next Big 3 is exciting. It’s what makes tennis bigger and more exciting. Rivalries are very important. It’s interesting to have all the characters; that’s why hopefully they’ll be calling us the next Big 3.
I thought if I could stay consistent, I could have already, maybe, had one. I’ve just got to believe in what I’m doing now and trust the process. How I’m best on the court is if I’m controlled when things go against me and when things go against me, I show emotions. I think Rafa is a great example of someone who shows a lot of emotion but also a lot of good emotion on the court. It’s a big inspiration.”