They were very different players back then compared to today. He progressed to the quarterfinals to face Taylor Fritz, defeating him in a five-set encounter that further aggravated his injury. During the 2010 season, the Big Four began to dominate the tour as a group for the first time. Roger Federer debate: Is he still in the Big Three? - Sports Illustrated But then best ever? Medvedev's later elimination guaranteed a new champion (which would be Carlos Alcaraz), making this the 13th time that a major would feature a new champion since Federer's first Wimbledon title in 2003, and the third consecutive year that the US Open would feature a new champion. Nevertheless, there are still a handful of players who have defeated the Big 3 on their surface of choice. He won ten titles, including three majors (only the fifth man in the Open Era to do so) and five Masters titles (a then-record), enjoyed a 41-match winning streak (from the start of the season to his loss to Federer in the semifinals of the French Open), amassed a record amount in prize money, and ascended to the world No. Currently, Djokovic leads his head-to-head record against both Federer and Nadal. [100][101][102][103] Djokovic won the title, as well as the first three Masters titles of the year in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were born a week apart, played each other as juniors,[23] and both made their major debuts in 2005. The Scotsman became the first British man sinceFred Perryin1936to win a major title. Feliciano Lopez: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic elevated Indeed, throughout the year, Murray failed to register a single victory against another member of the Big Four in nine meetings. Soon after, by reaching the semifinals in Rotterdam, Federer overtook returned to world No. [95] The US Open 2014 saw the Big Four's collective grip on the major titles slip still further, however, as Kei Nishikori and Marin ili beat Djokovic and Federer in the semifinals respectively to contest the first Slam final featuring none of the Big Four since the 2005 Australian Open, and the first time since 2003 that multiple first-time Grand Slam tournament winners have been crowned in a single season. 909 Almost a decade later, Federer came close to repeating that feat. Naomi Osaka on the court with a baby bump: Andre Agassi her new coach? (W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (WL) winloss record. Camila Giorgi is out of this world! Nadal and Djokovic dominated the 2013 season. Check here, Be the first one to comment on this story. Federer, however, won the title without dropping a set by beating Marin ili in the final. Federer finished the season having reached all four major finals for the third time in his career following 2006 and 2007. Nadal and Djokovic both progressed to a quarterfinal encounter, with Nadal emerging victorious in four sets. But I am trying to win every match. But then again we don't play doubles. The Spaniard lifted his first trophy in nine months and left the legend Pete Sampras with 64 ATP titles. Five of those wins have come in Masters 1000 tournaments (four finals) and one in a Grand Slam (2012 US Open). Djokovic defeated Federer in five sets to claim his second Wimbledon title,[93] a result that left Djokovic, Nadal and Federer occupying the top three places in the rankings. Only 2 players beaten Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic for 5 or more times I never had a goal to win a Grand Slam but I am trying as best I can. Thats my first Grand Slam. We don't play mixed. After winning the title, Andy said, I was obviously very emotional. [25] He also won two Masters titles and five overall titles during the season, finishing 2007 as the world No. Nadal Advances to French Open Semifinals After Defeating Djokovic - The First up was Nadal, who he had never previously faced. [67] Nadal dominated the US Open series, winning the Canada Masters, Cincinnati Masters, and US Open, defeating Djokovic in the final of the latter. I dont know how Im going to feel if I win a second one or third one. 1 in the ATP rankings. At 2019. [143] Federer has delivered the most bagels against the other two with four, while receiving only one.[144]. He holds a solid record against the Fab 3. Roger Federer defeated No. This win combined with winning the gold medal at the London Olympics at Wimbledon with consecutive victories over Djokovic and Federer increased Murray's standing as a member of the Big Four: his end-of-season ranking of world No. Daniil came from 30-15 down in the tenth game and wrapped up the set with a forehand winner for 6-4 in 39 minutes. [130] The title was won by Dominic Thiem, who became the first player outside the Big Three to win a major since Stan Wawrinka in 2016. Berdych was a Wimbledon finalist and world number four at his peak, so he always had the respect of the tour, and especially the big three. The Brit defeated the Spaniard in straight sets in the final of the 2015 edition and the semifinals of the 2016 edition. The two have played each other 53 times, with Djokovic winning 27 and Federer 16. Novak Djokovic: Probably no Serbia Open in 2024, Ion Tiriac wants his licence back, ATP Acapulco: Taro Daniel scores first top-10 win despite beating Novak Djokovic, ATP Dubai: Lorenzo Sonego keeps Rafael Nadal in top-10, Novak Djokovic passes Rafael Nadal, matches Roger Federer. [111] Djokovic claimed the other spot in the final, to set up a rematch of the previous year's final, and defeated Federer in four sets to win his second major of the year, denying Federer a record eighth Wimbledon title for the second year in a row. The Frenchman has got six wins against Federer and Djokovic, and four against Nadal. [9][153][154][155][156], I think the top four, they are better. It's nice to see Andy making his move at the Olympics, nice to see Novak having an absolutely ridiculous year last year, and then Rafa and myself still being around. Nadal withdrew from the ATP Finals to undergo surgery for an ankle injury. Nevertheless, Thiem is an exceptional talent, and he can replace Federer in the Fab 3 with the Swiss legend retired from the game. Just because you look back maybe 15 years, then you have Sampras, Edberg, Becker, and Agassi, I don't know who else. These things happen rarely, but it has happened to Federer few times. Nadal ended 2019 as the world No. Nadal won both, with the latter final often described as one of the greatest tennis matches of all time. Mar 1, 2023. Thats how good he is, and hopefully well see it again. ", "Is the Dominance of the Big Three Good for Tennis? 1 Novak Djokovic is the answer. The Cypriot, who was a 2006 Australian Open semifinalist, prevailed over Nadal in the quarterfinals of the 2010 ATP Masters in Cincinnati. ", "Men's Tennis: The Big One, Big Two, Big Three or Big Four? Nadal Beats Djokovic in a Riveting Showdown at the French Open 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. Since 2006, only six players have defeated the Big Three to win a Grand Slam title. But he lost all the other nine matches against the Spaniard. 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. Tennishead.net is owned by Advantage Publishing (UK) Ltd. Company No: 05734573, Keep up to date with the breaking news & tennis action at our, Check out the latest tennis equipment with our, Read in depth features with stunning photography in, Check out our guide on how to watch tennis on TV, EXCLUSIVE 5% DISCOUNT for all tennishead readers on tennis rackets, balls, clothing, shoes & accessories with All Things Tennis. Federer ended Nadal's Open Era record 81-match winning streak on clay at the 2007 Hamburg Masters, while Nadal ended Federer's Open Era record 65-match winning streak on grass and five-year dominance at Wimbledon in the 2008 final, and twice denied Federer the non-calendar year Grand Slam at the 2006 and 2007 French Opens. 1. If not for his injuries, Juan Martin would have been twice the player he has been in his career till now. The rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic is the most prolific in tennis history. Taking nothing from Australia, Hewitt did have a bit of an upper hand against the young Federer and Nadal. At the 2018 US Open, both Djokovic and Nadal made the semifinals, where Nadal retired against Juan Martn del Potro after being two sets down due to a knee injury he sustained during the tournament. During the 2010s, Federer's lead gradually shrank, culminating in Nadal tying Federer's record 20 titles with his win at the 2020 French Open. [205] Nadal stopped Djokovic from completing a non-calendar year Grand Slam at the 2012 French Open and has delivered eight of Djokovic's defeats at the tournament, while Djokovic has delivered two of Nadal's three losses at Roland Garros and outlasted him in the longest major final in history at the 2012 Australian Open. Djokovic successfully defended his title by defeating Kyrgios in four sets in the final to win his 21st major title, thereby passing Federer and placing him one behind Nadal. Andy Murray is surely the 4th best player of this generation. Following Djokovic's early exit from the Australian Open, he underwent surgery for the wrist injury that had been causing him issues for the previous year. He then defeated Anderson in the final to win his fourth Wimbledon title and 13th major title overall. [47] Nadal also won Wimbledon over Berdych, having missed the previous year's edition due to injury. 2 behind Andy Roddick. In the final, Djokovic defeated Nadal in straight sets to claim a record-winning seventh Australian Open title and increased his major tally to 15. Having said that, there are few players who actually dont fear facing any of these 3 aces. [118] Djokovic won Toronto with Murray losing in the finals of Cincinnati. [199][200][201][202] Djokovic saved double match points against Federer at the 2010 and 2011 US Open semifinals and the 2019 Wimbledon final,[203][204] whereas Federer ended Djokovic's 43-match winning streak in the 2011 French Open semifinals. Wawrinka himself has downplayed the suggestion that he be included in an expanded "Big Five", describing Murray as "well ahead" of him. Against Djokovic, however, the Canadian has a poor record, losing all 12 matches that the two have been a part of. Milos Raonic beat Rafael Nadal twice, both times on hardcourt. The year ended with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer occupying the top-three positions in the rankings. [65][66] Murray defeated Djokovic in the final, becoming the first Briton to win the men's singles title in 77 years. Even the Fab 3 failed at certain points to hold on to Jo-Wilfried Tsongas solid comebacks. He and Federer each won three Masters tournaments. "[50], Djokovic's dominance contributed to overall control by the Big Four. 'Novak Is Not Appreciated at His Fair Value'- 'GOAT' Controversy 6 has a far better record against Roger Federer, winning four times. Additionally, they collectively own the 10 biggest single season payouts ranging from $13.06 million to $21.15 million. Djokovic was unable to compete at the Australian Open for being unvaccinated against COVID-19. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are the three biggest names in men's tennis. The World No. The two most important players I ever faced. Nadal returned in Montreal where he defended his title. 1 since Nadal beat Roger Federer in the 2005 French Open semifinals on his 19th birthday. Tonight, Rafael Nadal reached the semifinal of the French Open after beating his opponent Novak Djokovic in four sets, 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6(3). . Representing their countries, the Big Four have played vital roles in leading their countries to victory at the Davis Cup, ATP Cup, and the Olympics. Federer won his first Grand Slam title in 2003, Nadal in 2005, and Djokovic in 2008. * Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of the Wimbledon Championships was cancelled. Federer's record on grass after his Halle exit stands at 188-28 with an 87% success rate. While many have prevailed against one of the three great legends of the game, only a small number have managed to beat two of them. But the crowd and the fans helped me a lot until the last point., He added, I just want to live this moment. The trio have each completed a Channel Slam, with Nadal having achieved it twice. [177][178][179], Occasionally, it was claimed that the current era in tennis could be seen as featuring a "Big Five", with Juan Martn del Potro,[180] Marin ili[181] and Stan Wawrinka[182][183][184][185] each suggested as additional expansions to the then Big Four. While many have prevailed. In the Wimbledon final, Murray beat Raonic in straight sets to win his second Wimbledon title, and third major title overall. The "nearly great if not for Federer" Andy Roddick had enough overlap between eras and lodged career wins over all of the. The former World No. Another interesting statistic pointed out by Nick Nemeroff is that only 2 players have beaten Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic for 5 or more times. Following the tournament, Murray dropped to 11th in the rankings, his first time outside the top ten since 2008. Coric also registered two wins against Roger Federer, at the Halle Open and the Shanghai Masters. Who Are The Players That Have Beaten Novak Djokovic? Since 2006, only six men (Del Potro, Murray, Wawrinka, Cilic, Thiem and Medvedev) have won Grand Slams apart from the Big 3 , The GOAT era of tennis pic.twitter.com/a7VEmBspF5, Pointing out this wondrous statistics, a Twitter user shared, Since 2006, only six men (Del Potro, Murray, Wawrinka, Cilic, Thiem and Medvedev) have won Grand Slams apart from the Big 3. Following Murray's strong end to 2014 and reaching the final of the 2015 Australian Open, he moved into the top four in the ATP rankings for the first time in over a year, meaning that the Big Four held the top four places in the rankings for the first time since early 2013, slowing the idea of the regression of the quartet. Creator: Cameron Spencer Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2018 Getty Image, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (16 wins against the Fab 3). The answer is Roddick. In 2016, Djokovic collected his sixth Australian Open title in a straight-sets victory over Murray. Between 2005 Wimbledon and 2007 US Open, he captured eight of ten majors with a record of 672 in those tournaments (his only two losses in that stretch were delivered by Nadal at the French Open). He has beaten Federer in all three Wimbledon finals they've played, and has only lost to him at . Federer went on to win a record-equaling fifth Indian Wells title, defeating Nadal in the fourth round. There, Federer was upset in the third round by qualifier Andrey Rublev, and Djokovic was upset in the semifinals by the eventual champion Daniil Medvedev. Roger Federer had better luck against Rainer Schuettler, winning his first match against the German back in 1999. Federer: 5 Nadal: 5 Djokovic: 4 Lleyton Hewitt (14) Hewitt has a fine record against them, although it is perhaps a little loaded since he was at the top when Federer and Nadal were just starting out. Thats my first one, so Im really happy. However, Medvedev played calm, patient tennis to become the 3rd Russian man to earn Slam glory, joiningYevgeny Kafelnikov andMarat Safin. Nalbandian became the first player to defeat Nadal, Djokovic and Federer in the same tournament, doing so to win his first Masters 1000 title. [15] At the ATP Finals, they won 12 titles, with Federer and Djokovic winning a record six titles each. [122] At the Montreal Masters, Federer reached the final but sustained a severe back injury there, which took him out of contention for the US Open and the No. He is one of the most feared opponents, as he can dominate any superstar on a good day. The Djokovic-Nadal and Djokovic-Federer rivalries are the only two in the Open Era to reach 50 matches. [149] Djokovic subsequently won the 2022 Wimbledon and the 2023 Australian Open, surpassing Federer and tying Nadal at 22 Grand Slam titles. In Grand Slams, Djokovic has won 7 times and Federer 3. The Big Three have given birth to one of the. Federer withdrew from the remainder of the 2016 season due to a knee injury, missing the Olympics and US Open.[116]. The first three on that list have also won 57 . ", "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. You look back, a further back, 20 years, and you have the Connors and the Lendls. Hrbaty failed to get past Djokovic when the two squared off in a Davis Cup World Group tie in 2008 which is the only encounter the two have been part of. British tennis player Andy Murray, Daniil Medvedev, Stan Wawrinka. The 34-year-old Serbian won his first Grand Slam title 13 years ago when he beat Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in four sets at the 2008 Australian Open. [60] He did not compete for the rest of the season, but still ended the year as world No. Nadal has 22 major victories, Djokovic 21 and Federer 20 the last coming at the Australian Open in 2018 at the age of 36. At 19, Carlos Alcaraz beat Nadal, Djokovic and Zverev May 9, 20224:59 PM ET Bill Chappell Twitter Enlarge this image Carlos Alcaraz hits a return to Novak Djokovic on his way to a semifinal. Which players have beaten Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal most times Federer subsequently overtook Sampras' all-time record of 286 weeks as the world No. Nadal took hold of the record by winning his 21st major title at the Australian Open in January, breaking his tie with his longtime rivals Djokovic and Roger Federer, who both have won 20. 2003 Wimbledon2004: Federer's ascendance to the top of the game, 20052007: Federer continues dominance, Nadal dominates clay, 20082010: Federer and Nadal dominance, Djokovic and Murray challenge, 20152016: Djokovic domination, Murray and Federer challenge, 20172018 French Open: Federer and Nadal return, Djokovic and Murray sidelined, 2018 Wimbledon2020 Australian Open: Djokovic returns, dominates with Nadal, 20202021: Disrupted seasons, Nadal and Djokovic tie Federer's major record, 202223: Nadal & Djokovic win 22nd majors, Federer retires, Combined performance timeline (best result), National and international representation, 2011 season was dominated by Novak Djokovic, the longest Wimbledon men's final in history, List of Grand Slam men's singles champions, List of ATP Tour top-level tournament singles champions, List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, "Federer, Nadal and Djokovic: Ranking the Big Three rivalries", "Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic head to US Open with 'Big Three' more dominant than ever", "Big 3 Dominance: Nadal, Djokovic, Federer Top Year-end Rankings", "Preview: Tennis 'Big Four' set to battle for U.S. Open title", "Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest players of all time says Pat Cash", "Men's Tennis Big Four Is the Party almost over? He failed to win a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2002, losing to Nadal for the fourth time in a French Open final. Here is why! 2 behind Nadal and overall had his best year since 2007, with his highest number of titles won since that year, winning two majors for the first time since 2009, and ending the year with a winning percentage of 91%, his highest since 2006. 1 and No. The Frenchman possessed the hitting power to break down the defences of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, and the court-coverage to stay i the game long enough to make it count. 1 ranking, all since 2012, saw him listed more comfortably alongside the other three members during the mid-2010s. However, with all four members being European, this may have had a potentially negative effect on tennis popularity in North America compared to previous decades, when Americans were regularly at the top of men's tennis. Carlos Alcaraz most likely to take over after Federer, Nadal & Djokovic The player who has gotten the better of the Fab 3 most of the time. ", "Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer in Indian Wells final", "Andy Murray beats Rafael Nadal to win Madrid Masters final", "Magical Murray defeats Rafael Nadal to win Madrid title", "Novak Djokovic holds off Andy Murray in five sets to reach French Open final", "Stan Wawrinka stuns Novak Djokovic to win French Open", "Wimbledon 2015: Roger Federer beats Andy Murray", "Federer Foils Djokovic For Seventh Cincy Crown", "US Open 2015: Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer in final", "Roger Federer to miss Rio 2016 Olympics and rest of season with knee injury", "Rio Olympics 2016: Novak Djokovic beaten by Juan Martn del Potro in first round", "Rio Olympics 2016: Andy Murray wins tennis gold for Great Britain", "Wimbledon 2017: Andy Murray top seed ahead of Djokovic, Federer & Nadal", "Tennis rankings: Big Four the ATP top four again; Johanna Konta hits career-high of fourth in WTA list", "Novak Djokovic: Twelve-time Grand Slam champion will not play again in 2017", "Andy Murray: World number two 'most likely' to miss rest of season with hip injury", "Rafael Nadal beats Stefanos Tsitsipas to win 11th Barcelona Open title", "Federer reveals long-standing hand injury", "ATP Finals: Alexander Zverev advances to semis; Rafael Nadal finishes year as World No. ^ Two walkovers (2014 ATP Finals final and 2019 Indian Wells semifinal) are not included in the table. He also joined Nadal in ownership of double digit titles at a single major. Despite playing with low expectations,[135] Nadal progressed to the quarterfinals, where he defeated Denis Shapovalov, and Matteo Berrettini in the semifinals. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Federer was defeated in the quarterfinals by Hubert Hurkacz. With Roger Federer's retirement, tennis loses another golden star Matches are always played on separate days. [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. Nadal won his eleventh title in Monte Carlo, then claimed an 11th Barcelona title, winning both without dropping a set. For other uses, see. He followed this with a runner-up finish at Indian Wells and a title in Miami. Federer did not compete in the 2021 Australian Open in order to recover from surgery. Nadal then withdrew from their round-of-32 clash in Auckland the following year to hand Hrbaty his third win against the Spaniard. In the past, he has served as a player and is expected to become a team captain in the future. Daniil Medvedev: I now try to be like Roger Federer in my matches. Djokovic . 1 seed Rafael Nadal 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to clinch his fifth title at the ATP Finals. There, Djokovic defeated Federer in the longest Wimbledon men's final in history. Stan said, Its just my career. Nadal has won a record 14 French Open titles, Djokovic a record 10 Australian Open titles, and Federer a record eight Wimbledon titles. Nadal finally got one back by defeating Hrbaty at the 2005 Barcelona Open. He became the first Argentine man to win the title sinceGuillermo Vilasin1977. The Czech superstar was a Wimbledon finalist and was ranked no.4 during his peak. Djokovic-Federer rivalry - Wikipedia Answer: One the same day? The Slovak triumphed in two out of three matches against Federer. The unseeded Zverev defeated the Swiss, who was the three-time defending champion, in the semifinals. At the Davis Cup, Nadal helped Spain to win the title in five editions, Djokovic and Federer helped Serbia (2010) and Switzerland (2014) win their first title in the competition, and Murray helped Great Britain win the title in 2015. By reaching this great milestone, the GOAT debate has ignited . Federer: 9 Nadal: 4 Djokovic: 1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (16) [90] This, and Nadal's loss to Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round, his third consecutive early-round loss at Wimbledon, led former players and experts, including Jimmy Connors, to express the opinion that the "aura" around the Big Four had faded. With the victory, Djokovic won his second French Open title and 19th major singles title overall, and became the third man to have won each of the four majors at least twice or more (after Roy Emerson and Rod Laver), and the first to do so in the Open Era. However, there are a few players who have a winning record against him. Federer also maintained the world No. This is a tremendous record against arguably the greatest man to have ever held a racquet.