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Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerlan wait to go on stage during the ATP Heritage Celebration at The Waldorf=Astoria on in New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerlan wait to go on stage during the ATP Heritage Celebration at The Waldorf=Astoria on in New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
The ‘Big 3’ have dominated most of the conversations around tennis in the last decade. While Federer and Nadal have been household names for a long time, in the last decade, Novak Djokovic has raced his way and earned tremendous success. At the moment, these three athletes are tied on 20 Grand Slam titles each.
Rafa’s uncle and former coach Toni Nadal spoke about Novak Djokovic failing to win his 21st Grand Slam title. According to the coach, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer must have felt relieved that the Serb was unable to go past them in their Grand Slam tally.
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GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – SEPTEMBER 18: Roger Federer of Team Europe and teammate Rafael Nadal react as they sit down during a practice session ahead of the Laver Cup 2019 at Palexpo, on September 18, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. (The Laver Cup consists of six players from the rest of the World competing against their counterparts from Europe. John McEnroe will captain the Rest of the World team and Europe will be captained by Bjorn Borg) The event runs from 20-22 Sept. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup)
The 60-year-old coach stated, “I think that both Roger and Rafael will have breathed a sigh of relief (and I suppose Rod Laver will too) and that they should now feel a little stronger to continue with the race next year. Djokovic will accuse such a painful defeat but will raise his head to face the next season.”
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(Quotes translated using Google translate)
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be inspired for the 2022 season
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According to Rafa’s uncle, this result at the US Open 2021 will provide Federer and Nadal with some added motivation for the upcoming 2022 season once they resume and return to full fitness.
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MALLORCA, SPAIN – JUNE 21: Toni Nadal, uncle of Rafael Nadal and his former coach attends day fourth of the Mallorca Open at Country Club Santa Ponsa on June 21, 2018 in Mallorca, Spain. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
The coach further added, “Federer and Rafael will see their spirits renewed to fight for their recovery. And the three of them will continue to give reasons to their millions of followers, still in suspense, to follow and support them for a while longer.”
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Reflecting on the season so far, now that all the Grand Slam events are over, it is certain that this season belongs to Novak Djokovic. However, his arch-rivals have played the 2021 season with injuries and complications. We can only hope for a more intriguing battle between The Big 3 next season.
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