“There is always discussion about the ‘Big Three’, but there are other guys too,” Novak Djokovic on lost-generation of Tennis
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17-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic stands unbeaten through 2020, aceing his fifth Italian Open crown in Rome on Monday. Headed towards his quest for the last majors’ title of the year, the Top seed presented his views on his future as well as the future of the sport at the post-match conference.
“Being on the Top requires determination and sacrifice,” says the Serbian legend
When asked for his views on whether he believed the generation of tennis players in their early thirties to be a lost generation, the World No. 1 replied, “It’s really hard for me to say that it’s a lost generation. I respect the guys like Dimitrov, Isner, and Anderson. But I get your point. There is always discussion about the ‘Big Three’, taking away 90% of the Grand Slams in the last 10-15 years.”
Remarking on why the others in their thirties fail to prosper like the ‘Big Three’, he stated, “You have guys like Wawrinka who have won 3 Grand Slams. He deserves to be talked about more. But he doesn’t. It’s a reaction from the public and the media as well. To divert the attention on the younger guys. It’s not only a case in tennis. But, It’s happening in every sport. You want to see young guys coming up and breaking records. And it’s fantastic that we have many young and fantastic players in tennis.”
Further, the Serbian legend also believes that though some have been successful in their early thirties, they couldn’t keep up to their potential. He said, “Again, I agree with your point. Dimitrov – I mean you can’t say that he has not been successful because he has always been there in the top 10 rankings. But his potential is still to be a little bit higher. To go ahead in Slams.”
He went on to point out the amount of dedication and zeal needed to get to the top. He also highlighted how the game has subtly changed.
“But, the game has changed as well. You now have tall guys like Zverev and Medvedev serving big. You know, being a player in the Top 5 in the world requires a lot of consistency, requires determination and sacrifice. It’s not just enough to play one month a year, two months a year well. You need to play the whole year well in order to be one of the best players in the world,” said the Italian Open 2020 winner.
The Serb gets hopeful of the new-gen
Finally, Novak expressed how a few of the new-gen players can give an interesting turn to the game. He said, “But, you know some guys are showing some great perspective and some great potential. I mean, now you have a new Grand Slam champion, Dominic Thiem, which is fantastic to see. Also, he deserves it absolutely. I want to believe tennis is in good hands. I see some good and interesting personalities. You know, guys like Shapovalov, I believe, tennis needs to help these guys express a little bit more.”
The aura of ‘Big Three’ will definitely leave a void once they retire. Hence, the next-gen is being envisioned to not only fill up the vacuum but rather carry forward the ‘Big Three’ bequest.
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