With a whopping combined grand slam count of 65, the ‘Big 3’ of tennis has completely changed the landscape of the sport in the last 20 years. Collectively, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have taken the game of tennis to new heights, with their iconic rivalry pushing each other to the pinnacle of excellence. Being 3 of the most decorated players in the history of men’s tennis, it is not at all surprising that the G.O.A.T debate of tennis has always revolved around these 3.
But as far as statistics are concerned, Novak Djokovic seems to have trumped his 2 greatest rivals in the recent past, cementing his claim a step further in the G.O.A.T discussion. Patrick McEnroe, the brother of John McEnroe, recently shared his thoughts on this perennial debate. Here’s what he had to say.
Patrick McEnroe sheds light on the one aspect where Federer and Nadal outshine Novak Djokovic
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Patrick McEnroe, the younger brother of American tennis legend John McEnroe, is a former tennis player. He also captained the United States Davis Cup team. In a recent appearance at Jim Rome’s podcast ‘The Jim Rome Show’, Patrick heaped praises on the incredible achievements of the 23-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic. However, he also mentioned that although the Serb may have established himself as the greatest, there are still a few aspects of the game where his rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal stand ahead of him.
“So Djokovic has won every major at least 3 times. You know, he’s won 10 Australians and seven Wimbledon, and 3 and 3 in the other two. So to me that makes him the greatest. He’s not the most flamboyant. He’s not the most fun to watch, like Nadal with his athleticism and Federer with his grace. But you talked about technique, Jim, you talked about no weaknesses. Not to mention being the gutsiest player I’ve ever seen, meaning he plays his best when he’s in crunch time. That is what separates him from all the other players,” he said.
Despite surpassing both his rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in terms of accolades won, Novak Djokovic still isn’t the clear favorite in being tagged as the greatest tennis player of all time according to many tennis pundits. British tennis pundit Geoff Dyer had something similar to say in a recent interview.
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British tennis pundit Geoff Dyer echoed similar sentiments
British author and tennis enthusiast Geoff Dyer weighed in on his thoughts on Novak Djokovic’s on-court supremacy in an interview a few days back. He opined that although Djokovic statistically surpassed Roger Federer some time back, he still lacks the ‘exquisite beauty’ in his game that the Swiss maestro possessed. He admitted that Novak Djokovic’s game is the most efficient and ruthless, but somewhere lacks the vulnerability that someone like Roger Federer displayed in his playing style.
It is clear that discussions regarding the Big 3 will continue to engage fans and experts alike, even after all of them are well retired from the sport. The magnanimity of their success and impact will undoubtedly keep them relevant for ages to come.
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