The saying, “The wolf running up the hill is much hungrier than the wolf standing on top,” perfectly describes the predicament of Novak Djokovic and the other members of the ‘Big Three’, including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The Serbian has physically lived this saying, refusing to settle down. His hunger to surpass his rivals and portray his dominance in the tennis world is evident from his 23 Grand Slam titles.
While the other two of the “big three” tennis players stepped away, he constantly demonstrated his hunger by breaking their records. Now, former British tennis professional, John Lloyd, who has seen success both personally and through the career of his ex-wife, Chris Evert, recently slammed Federer and Nadal for remaining humble.
John Lloyd criticizes Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal for remaining humble
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The Big 3 of men’s tennis—Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal—have dominated the ATP tour for more than two decades. Together, they have won more than 100 Masters, 1000 championships, and 65 Grand Slam titles. Among these Grand Slam victories, the Serbian has 23, with his latest record-breaking title coming at the French Open. With this win, he overtook the Spaniard in terms of Grand Slam wins.
Recently, after Djokovic established a record in the open era, the former British tennis star revealed his perspective on the key contrasts between accomplishing more and settling for fewer in an interview with The Tennis Letter. He said, “1 thing I love about Novak is he said he was chasing the record & it meant a lot to him. As much as I loved Rafa & Roger, they were saying they weren’t concerned about breaking the record & blah blah. I don’t believe that for 1 second”
John Lloyd on Djokovic, Federer, Nadal:
“1 thing I love about Novak is he said he was chasing the record & it meant a lot to him. As much as I loved Rafa & Roger, they were saying they weren't concerned about breaking the record & blah blah. I don't believe that for 1 second” pic.twitter.com/fgRmpNynBO
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 17, 2023
With that, the 18-time Grand Slam champion’s ex-husband questioned Federer and Nadal’s attitude of not chasing records. In addition, the 68-year-old former tennis player also opined that Djokovic is the one telling the truth. He explained that every player’s dream is to achieve records with which they can make their name resonate in the sporting arena.
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Djokovic took the game to the next level
The Swiss Maestro appeared to be a little out of the record-breaking agreement as he retired from the tennis circuit last year. But the hunger game is still going on because of the Spaniard and Djokovic. Nevertheless, it was prior to the French Open that news of Nadal’s withdrawal surfaced. He discussed how his archrival’s absence from the competition can be a perfect opportunity for him.
Djokovic, who now leads both tennis stars, is the only player in the open era to have won 11 major championships after turning 30. While he has 38 ATP Master titles, the Spaniard has dominated the clay-court competitions throughout his career, earning a total of 36 ATP Tour Masters titles on the court’s surface. In addition, the Swiss Ace is behind both of the Big Three players in terms of Grand Slam victories and tournament appearances, as he retired last year.
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The Nole has no plans to slow down; rather, he is developing and adopting new strategies to keep up his competitive edge.
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