Djokovic was defeated by Karen Khachanov in the final. Tennishead.net is now the world's most visited tennis news website, Tennishead magazine is the world's favourite tennis publication and the Tennishead CLUB is our ground breaking virtual tennis community. Federers retirement from the sport might have come as a sign of relief for many players out there. Having suffered from injury-plagued seasons, Nadal and Federer ended the year at number nine and 16 respectively. After defeating Djokovic in an ATP 500 event, he became the first player outside of the "Big 4," that being Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, to defeat the Serbian superstar at a . Creator: Juan Manuel Serrano Arce Copyright: 2022 Getty Images, Juan Martin del Potro (17 wins against the Fab 3). However, he still has a solid record against the fab 3, mainly against Novak Djokovic. They won 11 consecutive majors between them, meeting in each French Open and Wimbledon final from 2006 to 2008. He then followed this up with victory at the Shanghai Masters. Thats my first one, so Im really happy. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were born a week apart, played each other as juniors,[23] and both made their major debuts in 2005. 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. 2 behind Djokovic, winning the French Open and reaching both the Wimbledon and US Open finals (losing both to Djokovic). 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. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal bias underlines Novak Djokovic not being rewarded with the GOAT status, according to a veteran tennis player. [172] Murray's overall record against the Big Three is 2956 (as of year end 2021). [53] However, Federer rallied, winning his three final tournaments, including the ATP Finals, which secured an end-of-season ranking of world No. 1. British tennis player Andy Murray, Daniil Medvedev, Stan Wawrinka. [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. Questions had been asked about 34-year-old Nadal . There, Djokovic defeated Federer in the longest Wimbledon men's final in history. [118] Murray ultimately won the final in four sets, becoming the first male player to win the singles gold medal twice. Over the past two decades, men's tennis has had Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and also Federer and Novak Djokovic. A couple of rare wins interspersed with 14 defeats; the Frenchman's record against Nadal tells its own tale. I always try to watch the finals of Grand Slams because thats where the best players are playing., He added, Before today, for me it wasnt a dream. 1 in the ATP rankings. The two have played each other 53 times, with Djokovic winning 27 and Federer 16. Maria Sharapova on how to build strong brand: Be smart with people you align with, ATP Dubai: In-form Daniil Medvedev wins third title in three weeks, Rafael Nadal doesn't know when he'll be back, but we do: at the Roland Garros, Alexander Zverev felt 'confident' he could beat Rafael Nadal before horror injury, Andrey Rublev: You need to have perfect day against Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic. It will be safe to say that Dominic Thiem is the closest tennis player who comes to the Fab 3. Djokovic has a clear lead in the head-to-head record between the two legends of tennis, with Federer winning just 16 times. If not for his injuries, Juan Martin would have been twice the player he has been in his career till now. The 2020 US Open quarterfinalist failed to defeat the Serb though, losing all four matches against the World No. They were very different players back then compared to today. Please logout and login again. The American's wins came in the 2005-06 period before the Mallorcan grew to be a near-invincible force on the ATP tour. The Swiss tennis legend has 20 titles. With five, Federer has recorded most bagels against all three of his peers, while receiving only one. 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. 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. The four of us? The Big Three have been competing to win the most Grand Slam men's singles titles of all time. Mar 1, 2023. Nadal and Federer, meanwhile, both progressed to the final after each won five-set semifinals. [126] This was Nadal's fifth Davis Cup title. Federer was also the silver medalist at the Olympics, where Djokovic finished fourth. Soon after, by reaching the semifinals in Rotterdam, Federer overtook returned to world No. Following the tournament, Murray dropped to 11th in the rankings, his first time outside the top ten since 2008. Qatar World Cup voted as the best of the 21st Century, Erling Haaland becomes the quickest to 20 Premier League goals, 12 football transfers that were a disastrous flop, WPL Schedule 2023: Match Timings, Teams List, Live Telecast, Schedule, Match Venue, and Live Telecast in India, The Greatest performances in Womens World Cup, Top 11 highest individual scores in womens T20Is, Ranking all the teams from the Womens Premier League, Revisiting the Best Matches of Border-Gavaskar Trophy. [44] Nadal was defeated by Juan Martn del Potro in the semifinals,[45] and del Potro beat Federer in the final to claim the title. [136], In February 2022, Medvedev became the world No. 2, and Nalbandian was unseeded, but the Argentine broke five times en route to a 6-1, 6-2 quarter-final win after only 71 . They did not break it but emerged ahead of the rest of the tour. Federer returned to the tour for Stuttgart and won the title there, which saw him return to the No. 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. 2005 was Nadal's breakthrough year, in which he won 24 consecutive matches on clay, including his first French Open title, beating Federer in the semifinals,[22] and he finished the year as the world No. The answer is Roddick. The former World No. Federer subsequently overtook Sampras' all-time record of 286 weeks as the world No. [107] Djokovic defeated Federer in the Rome final. Andy Murray is the player who came closest to the level of the Big Three (until 2016, they were, in fact, called Fab Four or Big Four). 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. I never expected to play a final. At the French Open, Federer returned to play at the tournament for the first time since 2015, reaching the semifinals where he was defeated by Nadal in straight sets. Those guys weren't good or what? Creator: Mark Metcalfe | Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2022 Getty Images, Dominic Thiem (14 wins against the Fab 3). The trio have dominated men's singles tennis for nearly two decades, collectively winning 64 major singles tournaments; Nadal and Djokovic with 22 titles, and Federer with 20. Feb 11, 2023 #107 TheNachoMan said: Nadal's only had one 3 slam season. 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. 1 Novak Djokovic five times. Federer is the only player on this list to have played at least three matches against a player and lose all of them, he never defeated Pat Rafter. It is surely a difficult task to get the better of any of them. In Grand Slams, Djokovic has won 7 times and Federer 3. The 35-year-old tennis player has recently broken Steff Graf's all-time record for spending the most number of weeks as world number one. Nadal won Monte Carlo for a record ninth time. [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. 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 . From 2007, Djokovic and Murray increasingly challenged Federer and Nadal's dominance with consistency. As of September 2020, Novak Djokovic has beaten Roger Federer 27 times. ", "Men's Tennis: The Big One, Big Two, Big Three or Big Four? 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. 1. Djokovic, on the other hand, defeated Kei Nishikori to make his eighth US Open final, where he beat del Potro for his 14th major title. At the ATP Cup, Djokovic led Serbia to victory in the inaugural edition in 2020. After winning the title, Andy said, I was obviously very emotional. He entered the French Open as the favourite, but was defeated in a massive upset by Robin Sderling in the fourth round. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has defeated the Big Three 16 times. Djokovic was unable to compete at the Australian Open for being unvaccinated against COVID-19. 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. 10 in the rankings. In the week following the Australian Open, Murray underwent another hip surgery. 1, the Serbian channelled the experience . . ", "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? The Argentinian defeated the five-time defending championRoger Federerin the final, 36, 76(75), 46, 76(74), 62 to win the mens singles tennis title. 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. Nadal went on to win the tournament, defeating Dominic Thiem in the final to claim a record-extending 11th French Open title and his 17th major overall. The Big Three is a common nickname in tennis for the trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, each considered to be among the greatest players of all time. Djokovic defeated Nadal for the first time at the French Open in a straight-sets quarterfinal. Monfils beat Federer for a fourth time at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2015. The Serbian ace has denied Federer 13 titles of the 19 finals they have played together. Federer also maintained the world No. 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. Despite Nadal going up two sets to love, Medvedev responded furiously and claimed the next two sets. In fact, the likeable Swiss is just one Wimbledon title away from completing the career slam. The Serb has beaten the Swiss 27 times, with 22 defeats (as of April 2020). denotes titles were won in different tournaments. Federer rebounded from his early loss at the Australian Open by winning his 100th title in Dubai. Had he been playing in another era, he may well have dominated tennis for a while. The Djokovic-Nadal and Djokovic-Federer rivalries are the only two in the Open Era to reach 50 matches. But he lost all the other nine matches against the Spaniard. 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 . Federer's run marked a record-breaking eleventh Wimbledon final and eighth title. It's very difficult for me to win a Grand Slam because there are the top four. ", "Nine To Shine: Djokovic Claims Historic Cincy Crown | ATP Tour | Tennis", "2003: Roger Federer Wins First Grand Slam at Wimbledon", "No. Following the win, Nadal returned to world No. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I feel that truly. Creator: Cameron Spencer Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2018 Getty Image, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (16 wins against the Fab 3). The first Masters to be held after the resumption of the tour was the Cincinnati Masters, where Djokovic emerged victorious to complete the double Career Golden Masters. Nadal and Djokovic both progressed to a quarterfinal encounter, with Nadal emerging victorious in four sets. He is the only player . 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. What is particularly impressive about the Big 3 era is how each player has stamped their authority over one specific surface. [64] Nadal and Federer lost early at Wimbledon, thus ending Federer's record streak of 36 consecutive major quarterfinals. Nadal is dominant on clay, particularly at the French Open, where he has won all six matches against Federer and eight of ten against Djokovic. 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. [46] They comprised six of the eight Grand Slam finalists and won a combined 16 tournaments (compared to six for the other four competitors at the 2010 ATP Finals). Of course I will be in the history of tennis. Additionally, they collectively own the 10 biggest single season payouts ranging from $13.06 million to $21.15 million. [46] At the start of the year, Federer continued his dominance as the world No. That too. Yet there are three players who managed to win several times against Federer, Djokovic and Nadal, often putting the Big Three in great difficulty. In the men's doubles, none of them would get past the second round. Attempting to become the third man to complete adouble career Grand Slam, Nadal was stopped by Wawrinka. He acknowledged that new talents are emerging all the time, and that the sport is constantly evolving. Daniil Medvedev: I now try to be like Roger Federer in my matches. The "nearly great if not for Federer" Andy Roddick had enough overlap between eras and lodged career wins over all of the. In the 5-hour 24-minute final, he defeated Daniil Medvedev, after coming back from a two-set deficit, to win his record-breaking 21st major and establish a new all-time record for the most men's majors singles titles. Novak Djokovic again faced defeat at the hands of Andy Murray at a Grand Slam final in 2013 when he lost the Wimbledon Open. 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. 4, his lowest ranking since October 2009 and his first time outside the top two of the rankings since March 2011. 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. You look back, a further back, 20 years, and you have the Connors and the Lendls. Every Time Serena Williams Retired From Tennis AndCameBack, Is Serena Williams Pregnant With Second Child? Murray ended the year with two Masters titles for the fourth consecutive year, and five titles in total.[54]. The former US Open champion also has two victories against Djokovic on hardcourt, both of them coming in three-setters at the ATP Finals. Following his back surgery at the end of 2013, Murray struggled to return to form in the first half of the year, reaching only two semifinals and losing to Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets in the quarterfinals while attempting to defend his Wimbledon title, a defeat which saw him fall to No. [174], Murray's three Majors, two Olympic Games victories, ATP Finals, Masters titles and his success in reaching the world no. However, his overall record really does set him apart as true heir-apparent to the ATP throne. Current through the 2023 Australian Open. Nadal withdrew before his first match at the Paris Masters, thus yielding the No. I mean, I don't know. But if you mean has anybody beaten all three of them in the same tournament, then the answer is no. Maybe we play less matches today because it's more taxing, but we do play less best of five set tennis than they used to play. They are the only three men in history to win eight or more singles titles at a single Grand Slam tournament: Nadal with 14 French Open titles, Djokovic with 10 Australian Open titles, and Federer with 8 Wimbledon titles. He followed up this solid run of form with a record-setting fifth Indian Wells and record-equaling sixth Miami masters titles. Between 2005 Australian Open and 2014 Australian Open, this was the only major not won by a member of the Big Four. 1 since Nadal beat Roger Federer in the 2005 French Open semifinals on his 19th birthday. Nadal made the final at all eight clay-court tournaments he played, winning six; he also made the semifinals at all eight of his hard-court tournaments, winning four titles. Federer won his first Grand Slam title in 2003, Nadal in 2005, and Djokovic in 2008. [94] Later, he also won the Shanghai Masters, and returned to No. Common tennis term for Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal trio, "Big Four (tennis)" redirects here. In the Wimbledon final, Murray beat Raonic in straight sets to win his second Wimbledon title, and third major title overall. 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. Federer is the best player of them all in terms of technique, but Nadal has beaten him so many times because . 1s in singles . At the end of 2009, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray finished as the ATP's top four players for the second consecutive year, with only Nadal and Federer changing positions from 2008.