The tale of the Big 3 in tennis is one for the ages. Three men- Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, have dominated the sport like no one else and have set the bar too high to ever be conquered. They have constantly pushed each other to the limits for the last two decades and have achieved almost every possible feat in tennis.
Nearing their end, there is a constant debate that who is the greatest among the three? The baton seems to change hands after almost every major starting with Federer, followed by Nadal, then Djokovic, and now again Nadal courtesy of his historic 21st major title in Melbourne earlier this year.
Like many, Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan too opined on the matter in an interview. He said that Djokovic will eventually win the GOAT race and will end up with most majors given his age and form. He called the Big 3 the ‘Sporting Phenomenon’ and said that he considers himself more like Federer.
“You have to admire Djokovic. He is the best player of all time and will win most Grand Slams in the history of tennis. There are also Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the three of them are a sporting phenomenon. If we compare Novak and myself, we have different styles of play, I am more like Federer. Roger has self-confidence, but Novak is more of a mixture of styles and he has it all in him,” he said.
‘He has a part of Roger and a part of Rafa in him’: Ronnie O’Sullivan on Novak Djokovic
O’Sullivan further said that Djokovic is the mix of both Federer and Nadal and that he most be lauded as an amazing player with incredible talent.
“Here you have Roger, Rafa’s over there… Novak is in the middle, he has a part of Roger and he has a part of Rafa in him. He must be recognized as an amazing player with incredible talent,” he added.
The Snooker legend also mentioned Djokovic’s plant-based diet for his success. The Serb moved to a plant-based diet a few years ago and ever since that, his results on the court have justified his decisions.
“We always knew that he would be special, but when he started with the diets and when he raised the game to the next level, it was the right thing to do,” he said.
