The tournament further signalled the decline of the Big Four's dominance. At the ATP Masters tournaments, the trio are also the top-three title leaders; Djokovic leads with a record 38 titles, followed by Nadal with 36, and Federer with 28. Thiem has scored four victories over Rafael Nadal on clay, the second-most by any player. Thats my first Grand Slam. Federer defeated Nadal in four sets to reach the final, where he faced Djokovic. Nadal claimed the Monte-Carlo Masters title, which saw him become the first man to win a single tournament ten times and simultaneously establish a new record for the most clay-court titles at 50, surpassing Guillermo Vilas' 49. The win brought Nadal to 18 major titles, just two behind Federer's record of 20. [63] However, Djokovic ended Nadal's record eight-year winning streak at the Monte-Carlo Masters. 1 after the Big Three reached it,[173] though he had by that time spent 76 weeks as No. Nadal won his first Grand Slam title at age 19, Djokovic at 20, and Federer at 21. 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. Wawrinka himself has downplayed the suggestion that he be included in an expanded "Big Five", describing Murray as "well ahead" of him. It's very interesting at the top right now, and the depth I think has never been greater than right now. Djokovic then won his eighth Australian Open title and his 17th major overall by a narrow victory over Thiem in the final.[128]. [126] This was Nadal's fifth Davis Cup title. The GOAT era of tennis.. Federer's run marked a record-breaking eleventh Wimbledon final and eighth title. Nadal ended the season with a 06 record against Djokovic, with every encounter between them at a final. Following the win, Djokovic emerged as a clear world No. 1 ranking. After winning the 2016 French Open, Djokovic came to within 2 titles of Nadal (14 vs. 12), but over the next two years, Nadal and Federer extended their lead over Djokovic again; following the 2018 French Open, Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic had 20, 17, and 12 titles, respectively. [48], The 2011 season was dominated by Novak Djokovic. Djokovic has been ranked No. [119] Nadal, Murray and Djokovic all lost before the semifinals. In 2012, when asked about his Davis Cup comments, Federer . But the Italian went on to lose their 14 other meetings. Alcaraz, ranked No. Andy Murray responds to Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek praise: Lot of respect for them, Rafael Nadal will lose the Top-10 after almost 18 years. Alcaraz, 19, is also the youngest player to defeat an ATP World No. In team sports, rosters change year by year and the rivalries endure.. James Blake won his first three matches against the Spaniard before losing the next four. He was a serious player who gave Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic a run for their money. Nadal won both, with the latter final often described as one of the greatest tennis matches of all time. Check here, Be the first one to comment on this story. He entered the French Open as the favourite, but was defeated in a massive upset by Robin Sderling in the fourth round. He is one of the most feared opponents, as he can dominate any superstar on a good day. Attempting to become the third man to complete adouble career Grand Slam, Nadal was stopped by Wawrinka. [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. [51] They all reached the semifinals at two of the year's Grand Slam events, and between them won every Masters tournament. Whereas Djokovic has 21 titles, winning the most recent at the 2022 Wimbledon Open. 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. In the highly anticipated final, Federer triumphed over Nadal in five sets, winning his 18th Grand Slam title and his first since Wimbledon 2012. The first three on that list have also won 57 . Defeated Novak Djokovic and Rafael . The Big Three are the top-three all-time men's leaders in Grand Slam singles titles won, as well as finals reached. Djokovic . Nadal breezed through to the French Open title, defeating Wawrinka in the final and not dropping a set at the tournament for the third time in his career. Federer is the player defeated more times by Murray, del Potro and Tsonga: 24 defeats, while Djokovic has 21 defeats and Nadal has 17 defeats. That's a really difficult call. In a recent press conference, Djokovic shared his thoughts on the next generation of tennis players and his own legacy in the sport. Between 2005 Australian Open and 2014 Australian Open, this was the only major not won by a member of the Big Four. Andy Murray is one of the undisputed legends of the game. However, he still holds a solid record against the Fab 3. Here's a look at the three players who have beaten Djokovic the most times in the finals of Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events over the years: #3 Roger Federer (beat Novak Djokovic in 3 Masters 1000 and 1 Grand Slam final) Novak Djokovic has dominated Roger Federer in the finals of big tournaments. He reached world No. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were born a week apart, played each other as juniors,[23] and both made their major debuts in 2005. Against Djokovic, however, the Canadian has a poor record, losing all 12 matches that the two have been a part of. Lets be realistic; every player had to face at least one of them in their journey before winning a major trophy. Tomas Berdych (13 wins against the Fab 3). The final lasted 4 hours and 54 minutes in the Arthur Ashe Court. .mw-parser-output .citation{word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}^ Outright record underlined. That too. [147] At the 2022 Australian Open, Nadal surpassed both Federer and Djokovic by claiming the title,[148] and went on to claim his 22nd Grand Slam trophy at the 2022 French Open. However, given Murray's injury-ridden exit from the tennis elite after his 2016 triumphs, and the Big Three's continued dominance through year-end 2019, the "Big Four" label has been increasingly confined to the 20082017 period. Another player with a winning record against Djokovic is Rafael Nadal. [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 term Golden Era has also been applied to other famous eras in tennis history including the mid-1970s to 1980s,[194][195][196] and the 1920s to the 1930s. Djokovic's 2016 Australian Open victory was especially impressive, as he came back from a two-set . The Big Three monopolized the top spot in the ATP singles rankings 897 weeks (equivalent to 17 years). He acknowledged that new talents are emerging all the time, and that the sport is constantly evolving. Federer, meanwhile, won his tenth title in Halle, making him the only player in the Open Era besides Nadal to win ten titles at the same event. 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. Nadal has an 82.9% career singles record of 1068-220, while Djokovic has an 83.5% career singles record of 1043-206. . ", "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. I cried a little bit on the court. Nadal and Djokovic both progressed to a quarterfinal encounter, with Nadal emerging victorious in four sets. [110], Federer beat Murray in straight sets in the semifinals of Wimbledon. Djokovic was defeated by Karen Khachanov in the final. The Czech superstar was a Wimbledon finalist and was ranked no.4 during his peak. Nadal also won in Madrid, while Djokovic fell to Alexander Zverev in the Rome final. One of the three finished the season as the year-end No. The Italian triumphed just once against Nadal in nine attempts, at the 2008 Rotterdam Open. Djokovic was then only one title away from tying Federer and Nadal for the most men's singles majors of all time. Murray did finish at his career-highest year-end ranking of two even if he won fewer titles, reached fewer finals and had less success versus Djokovic when compared with Federer in the number three ranking. [118] Djokovic won Toronto with Murray losing in the finals of Cincinnati. Djokovic is the only player to have beaten Federer at all the majors and the Swiss is the only one to have done likewise to Novak. The German lost to Nadal no fewer than five times, but only after winning the very first encounter between the two that took place in 2004 on an indoor carpet surface in Basel. [89] Nadal went on to defend his French Open title, defeating Murray in the semifinal and Djokovic in the final. In the past, he has served as a player and is expected to become a team captain in the future. In 2016, the World No. With Nadal's injuries, Murray and Djokovic improved in the rankings, with Murray reaching world No. Juan Martin Del Potro managed to defeat the Big Three 17 times, despite the many injuries that have affected his career. In Wimbledon, Nadal and Federer again met in the semifinals, their first meeting at Wimbledon since the 2008 final. Djokovic defeated Nadal for the first time at the French Open in a straight-sets quarterfinal. So, the question he is probably itching to learn the answer to himself is: how does Thiems record against the big three stack up against others who have chased them? 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. Tomas Berdych had a career to cherish. [170][171] In 2014, statistician Nate Silver labelled the group the 'Big Three and a Half'. Blake beat Federer once in 11 outings, in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. [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. He was a serious player who gave Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic a run for their money. ", "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. The answer is Roddick. As of September 2020, Novak Djokovic has beaten Roger Federer 27 times. 10 in the world rankings. The only player to clinch the no.1 spot in the Federer-Nadala-Djokovic era. The Cypriot, who was a 2006 Australian Open semifinalist, prevailed over Nadal in the quarterfinals of the 2010 ATP Masters in Cincinnati. He progressed to the quarterfinals to face Taylor Fritz, defeating him in a five-set encounter that further aggravated his injury. 1 position for the first time in July. 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. [65][66] Murray defeated Djokovic in the final, becoming the first Briton to win the men's singles title in 77 years. 51 bested the Mallorcan at the Argentina Open. He has beaten Federer in all three Wimbledon finals they've played, and has only lost to him at . From 2005 to 2010, they ended each season as the world's top two players. This marked Nadal's first major title since the 2014 French Open. Stan said, I still think that Im dreaming. Said six-time major champion Stefan Edberg of the GOAT debate: "Djokovic, Nadal and Federer are pretty much tied in terms of achievements, but if you add the popularity and fanbase, Roger might . 909 Almost a decade later, Federer came close to repeating that feat. They won 11 consecutive majors between them, meeting in each French Open and Wimbledon final from 2006 to 2008. By 2011, Nadal declared that his joint dominance with Federer had ended, following the ascent of Djokovic and later Murray. The Brit defeated the Spaniard in straight sets in the final of the 2015 edition and the semifinals of the 2016 edition. Federer subsequently overtook Sampras' all-time record of 286 weeks as the world No. 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. Djokovic won one major, reached two major finals and a semifinal, and finished the year on a 22-match winning streak after taking the ATP Finals. Federer continued his return to form reaching the finals of Toronto and winning his first Masters title since 2012 in Cincinnati. Only three players have beaten a member of the Big Four in a major final. The trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are commonly referred to as The Big Three. Seven current or former world number ones have winning records over members of the Big 4: Pat Rafter, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Gustavo Kurten, Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic . Every Time Serena Williams Retired From Tennis AndCameBack, Is Serena Williams Pregnant With Second Child? Nadal achieved his 36th Masters victory by defeating Djokovic in the Italian Open final. Answer: One the same day? Here, we take a look at nine players who have triumphed against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal but have never managed to get the better of Novak Djokovic. The 34-year-old has defeated Novak Djokovic eight times on hardcourt, the second-most of any player. I never expected to play a final. Roger Federer has never beaten both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the same grand slam. The 2020 US Open quarterfinalist failed to defeat the Serb though, losing all four matches against the World No. Federer, however, won the title without dropping a set by beating Marin ili in the final. The Big Three have given birth to one of the. Its quite strange when I tell myself that I have a gold medal, a Davis Cup, and I have two Grand Slam. However, he emphasized that he is not afraid of the competition, and that he welcomes the challenge of facing . Those weren't good either? Answer: By twice in a row, I guess you are reffering to two back to back tournaments (for example when Federer defeated Nadal in Indian Wells and Miami 2017). 9 in the world, became the first man to beat Nadal and Djokovic who have combined to win 41 Grand Slam titles in the same clay court event and the 12th on all. You look back, a further back, 20 years, and you have the Connors and the Lendls. In the end-of-year rankings, Djokovic, Federer and Nadal held the top three spots, with Murray in sixth. However, he returned to form in Rome, defeating Djokovic in the final to win his ninth crown at the event. Next to them is Pete Sampras, who has won a total of 14 grand slams, mind the gap. They have been ranked as world No. 2 behind Andy Roddick. Something quite amazing. Nadal won his eleventh title in Monte Carlo, then claimed an 11th Barcelona title, winning both without dropping a set. Djokovic then continued to dominate throughout the remainder of the year, winning in Beijing, Shanghai, Paris and at the ATP Finals. 1 ranking in November 2016 and keep it to finish the year at the top position further helped arguments about him belonging in a "Big Four". 2 in the rankings, overtaking Nadal, whose season had been curtailed by a wrist injury. [98] Federer recovered to win the Davis Cup as part of the Switzerland team for his, and the country's, first triumph in the competition, leading many people to say that his tennis career was now complete. I mean, I don't know. The 24-year-old has dwarfed Novak Djokovic thrice on hardcourt -- twice in the Year-end Championships and once in the Olympics. Baghdatis faced off against the Serb eight times with no success. ", "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. Djokovic won in four sets, giving him a third slam title of the season.[115]. The match equalled the record of US Openfinal duration in theOpen Era. [145] Federer first led the trio by winning his first Grand Slam singles title at 2003 Wimbledon. The American Grand Slam title is Medvedevs only majortitle till date. 1 in true Big-4 style", "New Big 5: Is Marin ili the real deal? Nalbandian became the first player to defeat Nadal, Djokovic and Federer in the same tournament, doing so to win his first Masters 1000 title. Amongst the three of them they have played 149 matches against each other, 49 of which were at Grand Slam events. It's my opinion. [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. Coric also registered two wins against Roger Federer, at the Halle Open and the Shanghai Masters. 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. And like other rivals of this era, such as Marin Cilic, Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori and Grigor Dimitrov lived. 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. He broke Pete Sampras's all-time record 14 Grand Slam titles at 2009 Wimbledon. 1 truly remarkable", "Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic and clinched No. Each member of the Big Four reached the 2010 ATP Finals semifinals with Federer defeating Nadal in three sets in the final, leading to them achieving their third successive season in the top four positions. At the ATP Finals, Murray beat Djokovic 63, 64, claiming the title and the No. 2, respectively, the first time since 20 March 2011 that they held the top two rankings spots. ", "Swiss tennis star Roger Federer confident of bouncing back to form", "Get ready for another Big Four-tnight at Wimbledon", "Wawrinka wins drama-charged Australian Open final", "Andy Murray six in world rankings, Stanislas Wawrinka up to three", "Andy Murray six in ATP world rankings, Wawrinka up to three", "Nishikori sees new generation threatening Big Four", "Berdych: Wawrinka showed us it is possible to win", "Novak Djokovic battles from behind to defeat Roger Federer and win BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells", "Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal to win Sony Open in Miami", "Djokovic defeats Nadal in three sets to win Rome Masters", "Rafael Nadal wins Madrid Masters after Kei Nishikori retires", "Andy Murray: World ranking drops to 10th lowest since 2008", "Wimbledon 2014: Is the end near for Nadal, Murray, Djokovic & Co? [150] Federer retired on 23 September 2022 with 20 Grand Slam titles. [25] He also won two Masters titles and five overall titles during the season, finishing 2007 as the world No. Since 2004, however, only four men have been ranked No. Camila Giorgi enchants Instagram with a cowgirl outfit! But then best ever? Head to head records for players in men's professional tennis. He reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, but lost to unseeded Marco Cecchinato. At the Laver Cup, the Big Four Make Europe a Formidable Group Team World has never won the cup, and now it will face the rare dream team of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and the. Federer was defeated in the quarterfinals by Hubert Hurkacz. 3 did, however, lose to the Mallorcan on eight occasions. In both the 2018 and 2021 ATP Finals, Zverev defeated the Serb and went on to win the tournament. Spanish second seed Nadal outclassed world number one Djokovic in a 6-0 6-2 7-5 win, which clinched a record-extending 13th title at Roland Garros. [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. The season was described by many experts and former players as one of the best tennis seasons for a singles player seen in history, with Tennis Magazine describing it as the third-best tennis season ever, behind Federer's 2006 season, and Rod Laver's in 1969. Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved | Developed with : by 12Grids, Tennis players who defeated Nadal, Djokovic & Federer, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic are the three greatest, If not for his severe knee injury, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga would have enjoyed a completely different career. Debating When Roger Federer Will Fade From the Big Three Conversation. [143] Federer has delivered the most bagels against the other two with four, while receiving only one.[144]. [125] In the 2019 Davis Cup, Spain won its sixth title (its first since 2011), defeating Canada in the final 20. Serena Williams Height: Is She Taller Than VenusWilliams? [24] They both reached the world's top 100 in 2005, and the top 20 in 2006. 1 in the ATP rankings. At the Australian Open, Nadal won his first title there in another five-set final, his third consecutive major final victory over Federer, while Murray and Djokovic were eliminated earlier. With a combined total of 149 matches played, the Big Three have played many notable matches against each other. 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. The two legends have met in three Wimbledon . Nadal was the clear world No. He failed to notch up wins against the Serb in the other two encounters that the two were part of in 2010 and 2011 at the US Open and Miami Masters respectively. After defeating the top seed, the German went on to win the tournament to notch up his fourth Masters 1000 title. For Nadal, it was his lowest end-of-year ranking since 2004, while Federer's fall in the rankings meant that November 2016 marked his first time outside the top ten since October 2002. Daniil Medvedev: I now try to be like Roger Federer in my matches. A 43% win record against a player of Rafael Nadal's caliber is a feat any player can be proud of. [58] Nadal did not compete due to a knee injury. 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. 1 player and wondering . [120] Djokovic announced in July that he would skip the rest of the 2017 season to recover from an elbow injury,[121] and Murray did not play another tournament in 2017 as well due to a hip injury. Answer (1 of 4): Here's a better question for you, which player has beaten Sampras, Agassi, Nadal, Federer AND Djokovic, Murray, Del Potro and Wawrinka? He won his second Masters title in Montreal, beating the Top 3 players Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick which made him No. Still, the Australian still generally got the job done against them. Murray's victory marked the first time since the 2010 French Open that a member of the Big Four had won a Grand Slam singles title without having to defeat one of the other three members. 1 player every year from 2004 to 2021, with the exception of 2016.