Novak Djokovic says there was ‘no room for third player’ during the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal era
Novak Djokovic admitted that it was difficult for him to challenge Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer early in his career.
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Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal (Images via X, Britannica)
Novak Djokovic once again discussed the rivalries of the Big 4. He believes that the competition between him, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray has left a big mark on tennis.
Djokovic emerged on the scene in 2003 and had to wait for five years to win his first Grand Slam trophy, at the 2008 Australian Open. During those years, Federer and Nadal clinched multiple Majors.
For the first few years of my career, when I was trying to break through, the rivalry was between Federer and Nadal, and I felt like there was no room for a third player. I had a rivalry with Andy Murray, who is the same age as me, and we grew up together. But over the years, through our accomplishments and our results, we expanded that rivalry and made it a Big Four era.
Novak Djokovic said during an interview with Vogue
Federer and Murray called time on their career in 2022 and 2024 respectively, while Nadal will hang up his racket in November after the Davis Cup. Djokovic has confirmed in several interviews that he will continue to play for a few more years.
The Serb also edges the other members of the Big 4 in the head-to-head encounters. He is 31-29 against Nadal, 27-23 against Federer, and 25-11 against Murray.
Jimmy Connors claims Novak Djokovic would retire if more youngsters start to challenge him
Jimmy Connors doesn’t think Novak Djokovic lacks the motivation to win more in his career. But as ‘getting older is getting older’, Connors believes the youngsters have started to feel that Djokovic has become a ‘little vulnerable’.
The eight-time singles Grand Slam champion though, is not ready to write off Djokovic yet but thinks he will retire from tennis if more youngsters like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner start to challenge him.
We talk Sinner and Alcaraz, but the only way he is going to say it’s time to go is if some of those other guys start stepping up too, or else he will keep hanging, and what’s wrong with that?
Jimmy Connors said on his Advantage Connors podcast
Djokovic recently participated in the Six Kings Slam exhibition event in Riyadh. He played the semifinals directly, against Sinner, and lost it, before beating Rafael Nadal for the third-place match.
On the ATP Tour, the 37-year-old reached his second final of the year at the Shanghai Masters but was defeated by Sinner in straight sets. He has since announced his withdrawal from the Paris Masters.
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Gouri Das
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