At the French Open, Federer returned to play at the tournament for the first time since 2015, reaching the semifinals where he was defeated by Nadal in straight sets. 2 in the rankings, overtaking Nadal, whose season had been curtailed by a wrist injury. The 34-year-old Serbian won his first Grand Slam title 13 years ago when he beat Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in four sets at the 2008 Australian Open. Djokovic won in four sets, giving him a third slam title of the season.[115]. Soon after, by reaching the semifinals in Rotterdam, Federer overtook returned to world No. Yet there are three players who managed to win several times against Federer, Djokovic and Nadal, often putting the Big Three in great difficulty. Tonight, Rafael Nadal reached the semifinal of the French Open after beating his opponent Novak Djokovic in four sets, 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6(3). It's very difficult for me to win a Grand Slam because there are the top four. Andy Murray is the player who came closest to the level of the Big Three (until 2016, they were, in fact, called Fab Four or Big Four). He also became the first British winner in singles sinceVirginia Wadewon the womens event in1977. For long, far behind his rivalry with Nadal, Federer's rivalry with Djokovic gained momentum after 2014. [151][152] Many former top professionals have also spoken about the topic, including Bjrn Borg, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanievi. The Slovak managed to beat Rafael Nadal three times in a row. 1. It was the Swiss firstmajortitle and with this win, he became the first man outside theBig Fourto win a major sinceJuan Martn del Potrowon the2009 US Open. Matches are always played on separate days. Djokovic was then only one title away from tying Federer and Nadal for the most men's singles majors of all time. The Spaniard was World No. He became the first British man to win the English Grand Slam singles title sinceFred Perryin1936, ending a 77-year drought. At 2018 Wimbledon, Federer lost to Kevin Anderson in the quarterfinals despite holding a two-sets-to-love lead and holding a match point in the third set, having suffered a hand injury at the start of the grass season. The defeat saw Nadal slip to seventh in the rankings, his first time outside the top five in more than a decade. At the 2008 Australian Open, Djokovic defeated Federer in the semifinals, reaching his first Australian Open final and ending Federer's streak of ten consecutive major finals. Maybe what we are learning is the sheer physical effort required to compete with the big three. He broke Pete Sampras's all-time record 14 Grand Slam titles at 2009 Wimbledon. In the previous year he lost the US Open final to he Scotsman. The year ended with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer occupying the top-three positions in the rankings. I'm not making something up. Federer then captured three of the four majors in 2004, losing only at the French Open, as well as becoming the world No. All four players qualified for the year-end championships, which Djokovic won. Federer is the player defeated more times by Murray, del Potro and Tsonga: 24 defeats, while Djokovic has 21 defeats and Nadal has 17 defeats. Del Potro said, It was so difficult to keep trying to fight. Federer finished the season having reached all four major finals for the third time in his career following 2006 and 2007. In the men's doubles, none of them would get past the second round. Nadal was the clear world No. The victory made him the first man to win the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles in the same calendar year since Rod Laver in 1969, and the second player to win majors on three different surfaces in a calendar year, after Nadal in 2010. But then again we don't play doubles. He was dominant even against his fellow Big Four rivals, going 154 against them throughout the year. 1 after the Big Three reached it,[173] though he had by that time spent 76 weeks as No. The player who has gotten the better of the Fab 3 most of the time. Djokovic won one major, reached two major finals and a semifinal, and finished the year on a 22-match winning streak after taking the ATP Finals. 3, Djokovic's 2011", "After putting on 'couch potato' weight in retirement, Pete Sampras is fit again and playing competitively", "Djokovic's 2011 season: the greatest of all time? Nadal received the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for his performance in the tournament after he won all eight matches in which he participated. He also beat the Swiss in straight sets in the 2014 Davis Cup Finals, but it wasn't enough to prevent Switzerland from winning the title. [23] Djokovic, however, began to excel ahead of Murray in 2007, reaching one major final and two semifinals and beginning to regularly challenge Federer and Nadal. But he lost all the other nine matches against the Spaniard. Federer won his final title at age 36, Nadal won his most recent title at 36, and Djokovic at 35. see also ITF team competitions: Olympics, Davis Cup, Hopman Cup and Federer entered the 2004 Summer Olympics as the heavy favourite, but lost in the second round to Tom Berdych. He also joined Nadal in ownership of double digit titles at a single major. Murrays record against Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic is why, for a time, there was a big four. Please logout and login again. Federer continued his return to form reaching the finals of Toronto and winning his first Masters title since 2012 in Cincinnati. However, given Murray's injury-ridden exit from the tennis elite after his 2016 triumphs, and the Big Three's continued dominance through year-end 2019, the "Big Four" label has been increasingly confined to the 20082017 period. Roger Federer VS Novak Djokovic #Title Not Set# Show Head 2 Head Detail VS 23 . Here is why! Following an early loss at Shanghai, Nadal announced that he would skip the remainder of the 2016 season to recover fully from the wrist injury that troubled him earlier in the year. On his day, though, Del Potro was feared, even by the big guns. "I have to pay a great tribute to Rafa and Roger. Djokovic was trying to become the first man sinceRod Laverin 1969 to win all four majors in one season and break a tie withRoger FedererandRafael Nadalfor the most major titles in history (20 each). This marked Nadal's first major title since the 2014 French Open. In Grand Slams, Djokovic leads 11 wins to 6. For other uses, see. Federers retirement from the sport might have come as a sign of relief for many players out there. Whereas Djokovic has 21 titles, winning the most recent at the 2022 Wimbledon Open. Having won two clay-court Masters tournaments and Roland Garros, he was eliminated in the second round at Wimbledon his earliest defeat at a Grand Slam tournament since 2005. [37] Federer then defeated Murray in the final to win his fifth consecutive US Open title and his 13th major title overall. At the US Open, Federer pulled out of the tournament due to his need for further knee surgery, while Nadal also withdrew due to a nagging foot injury. . 4 in November, the first time he had been ranked outside the top three since 2002. The Cypriot, who was a 2006 Australian Open semifinalist, prevailed over Nadal in the quarterfinals of the 2010 ATP Masters in Cincinnati. He followed up this solid run of form with a record-setting fifth Indian Wells and record-equaling sixth Miami masters titles. He also holds a positive winloss record in Grand Slam singles finals, winning three of four (the loss being to Nadal in the final of the 2017 French Open), as opposed to Murray who has won only three from eleven (a 27.27% strike rate). I cried a little bit on the court. While Djokovic remains the man to beat on hardcourt, Nadal and Federer have shown that they can hold their own against anyone on clay and grass respectively. Juan Martin Del Potro managed to defeat the Big Three 17 times, despite the many injuries that have affected his career. The 20-time Grand Slam winner went on to win a couple more times before losing in straight sets at the 2002 Dubai Open. Taking nothing from Australia, Hewitt did have a bit of an upper hand against the young Federer and Nadal. Andy Murray responds to Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek praise: Lot of respect for them, Rafael Nadal will lose the Top-10 after almost 18 years. Federer's early loss in Miami resulted in the loss of the No. [36] At the US Open, all four players reached the semifinals of the same major for the first time. [92] However, Djokovic defeated Dimitrov and Federer beat Raonic to make it an all-Big Four final, the 24th they had contested. In the week following the Australian Open, Murray underwent another hip surgery. [119] Nadal, Murray and Djokovic all lost before the semifinals. [95] The US Open 2014 saw the Big Four's collective grip on the major titles slip still further, however, as Kei Nishikori and Marin ili beat Djokovic and Federer in the semifinals respectively to contest the first Slam final featuring none of the Big Four since the 2005 Australian Open, and the first time since 2003 that multiple first-time Grand Slam tournament winners have been crowned in a single season. They made me realise what I had to do to improve. [48], The 2011 season was dominated by Novak Djokovic. The German lost to Nadal no fewer than five times, but only after winning the very first encounter between the two that took place in 2004 on an indoor carpet surface in Basel. Thats my first Grand Slam. [108] Djokovic emerged victorious over Murray in a five-set match that was spread over two days[109] but succumbed to Wawrinka in the final in four sets. 2, while Djokovic, who lost in the quarterfinals, fell to world No. Nadal finally got one back by defeating Hrbaty at the 2005 Barcelona Open. They were very different players back then compared to today. Since 2004, however, only four men have been ranked No. Nadal has won a record 14 French Open titles, Djokovic a record 10 Australian Open titles, and Federer a record eight Wimbledon titles. 3. In 2007 nadal won the French open and pushed Federer to 5 sets in the Wimbledon final. Djokovic successfully defended his title by defeating Kyrgios in four sets in the final to win his 21st major title, thereby passing Federer and placing him one behind Nadal. The GOAT debate has increasingly become centered around Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, as the trio have made themselves a part of tennis history with their continued dominance. Relief is probably the word I would use describe how Im feeling just now., He added, Mentally, the last three, four days have been pretty tiring. Stan said, I still think that Im dreaming. Common tennis term for Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal trio, "Big Four (tennis)" redirects here. Despite withdrawing from the event due to injury, Nadal ended the year ranked as the world No. 12 and 16 respectively. Djokovic has a clear lead in the head-to-head record between the two legends of tennis, with Federer winning just 16 times. 1 after winning the Australian Open in 2004. A lot of the tennis stars such as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Pete Sampras among the others have held the number 1 rank. 3 has also won one match against Roger Federer on grass, at the 2016 Halle Open. Djokovic was the only player to reach the semifinals at all majors, defeating Nadal in the final of the Australian Open (in what is considered to be one of the greatest tennis matches of all time), and was the runner-up at both Roland Garros and the US Open. He established an 81-match winning streak on clay during this time. By reaching the final, Djokovic also clinched the year-end No. Federer rebounded from his early loss at the Australian Open by winning his 100th title in Dubai. Wawrinka himself has downplayed the suggestion that he be included in an expanded "Big Five", describing Murray as "well ahead" of him. This was the only time that he beat the Spaniard in nine matches. Head to head records for players in men's professional tennis. Camila Giorgi enchants Instagram with a cowgirl outfit! Nadal and Djokovic dominated the 2013 season. View rivalry results and stats for matches on the ATP Tour. However, Medvedev played calm, patient tennis to become the 3. Feb 11, 2023 #107 TheNachoMan said: Nadal's only had one 3 slam season. As a result, upon reaching the Paris final, Murray gained the number-one ranking, ending Djokovic's 122 consecutive weeks at the top. The Big Three is a common nickname in tennis for the trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, each considered to be among the greatest players of all time. In 2012, when asked about his Davis Cup comments, Federer . After defeating the top seed, the German went on to win the tournament to notch up his fourth Masters 1000 title. The trio have each completed a Channel Slam, with Nadal having achieved it twice. Thats amazing for me. Nadal and Djokovic have each achieved a Surface Slam by winning majors on hard, clay, and grass courts in a calendar year, making them the only male players in history to do so. Federer excelled in the men's doubles event and captured the gold medal, while Djokovic lost in the first round, and Murray and Nadal in the second. ", "Is the Dominance of the Big Three Good for Tennis? It used to be the Big Four now it's Novak Djokovic vs Andy Murray", "Federer reflects on mistakes of playing injured", "Andy Murray beats Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon", "Djokovic retains title with two-set win", "Andy Murray to undergo minor surgery in bid to solve back problem", "The Economic Times: What's on the cards for the big three", "With Roger Federer's loss, have we seen the end of the Big Four? . 3. ", "Nadal, Djokovic and Federer built a golden era of men's tennis", "John McEnroe on tennis' golden era and best of all time", "Simply the best: The golden era of men's tennis", "Adjusted for inflation, the ATP's current elite are the best paid ever", "Djokovic Snatches Monumental Victory from Federer", "Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer in US Open semis", "French Open: Roger Federer ends Novak Djokovic run to reach final", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Three_(tennis)&oldid=1141902301, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from June 2022, Articles with dead external links from July 2020, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2022, Articles containing potentially dated statements from February 2023, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2016, Articles containing potentially dated statements from January 2023, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from June 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 13:01. The 2008 Wimbledon final, 2009 Australian Open final, 2012 Australian Open final, 2013 French Open semifinal, 2017 Australian Open final, 2018 Wimbledon semifinal and 2019 Wimbledon final are considered some of the greatest tennis matches of all time. He followed this with a runner-up finish at Indian Wells and a title in Miami. Nadal then defeated Medvedev 64 in the fifth set, claiming his fourth US Open title and 19th major title overall, one behind Federer's record. Despite Nadal going up two sets to love, Medvedev responded furiously and claimed the next two sets. 3 in the world. The win brought Nadal to 18 major titles, just two behind Federer's record of 20. Schuettler, who was the runner-up at the 2003 Australian Open, failed to beat Novak Djokovic in three matches that took place between 2007 and 2009. He is one of the most feared opponents, as he can dominate any superstar on a good day. A third loss, to Djokovic in the final of the Rome Masters, was the first time Nadal had lost more than two matches on clay in a season for a decade. However, Wawrinka has reached seven fewer Grand Slam singles finals, has won 13 fewer Masters titles than Murray, and has peaked at only number 3 in the world rankings. The former World No. Novak has beaten Roddick, Nadal and Federer (they were ranked #1, #2, and #3 in the world at the time) at the Canadian Open bac. 1 ranking for a 310th week. [129] Djokovic was disqualified from the tournament during his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreo-Busta after inadvertently striking a ball at a line judge after conceding a break. Djokovic defeated Federer in five sets to claim his second Wimbledon title,[93] a result that left Djokovic, Nadal and Federer occupying the top three places in the rankings. To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended. Djokovic lost in the final to Daniil Medvedev, preventing him from winning a record 21 majors and achieving a Grand Slam, which would have been the first in men's tennis since Rod Laver in 1969. Maybe we play less matches today because it's more taxing, but we do play less best of five set tennis than they used to play. He has beaten Federer in all three Wimbledon finals they've played, and has only lost to him at . ^ Two walkovers (2014 ATP Finals final and 2019 Indian Wells semifinal) are not included in the table. [126] This was Nadal's fifth Davis Cup title. His breakthrough came in 2003 when he won his first major title at Wimbledon,[19] won the year-end championships, and finished the year as the world No. Maria Sharapova on how to build strong brand: Be smart with people you align with, ATP Dubai: In-form Daniil Medvedev wins third title in three weeks, Rafael Nadal doesn't know when he'll be back, but we do: at the Roland Garros, Alexander Zverev felt 'confident' he could beat Rafael Nadal before horror injury, Andrey Rublev: You need to have perfect day against Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic. In the 16 Grand Slam meetings, Nadal has won 10 to Djokovic's six, and in the eight times they've played at the French Open, Nadal has lost just once. At this time they are better than the other players. At the Grand Slam tournaments, the trio are the all-time title leaders; Nadal and Djokovic have each won a record 22 majors, and Federer 20. Madrid, Spain On This Day: David Nalbandian completes the first and only Big 3 sweep The now-retired Argentine is still the only player to ever beat Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak. This was his fourth win out of four meetings with Nadal in 2017, as well as his fifth consecutive. Here's a look at the three players who have beaten Djokovic the most times in the finals of Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events over the years: #3 Roger Federer (beat Novak Djokovic in 3 Masters 1000 and 1 Grand Slam final) Novak Djokovic has dominated Roger Federer in the finals of big tournaments. [5][6][7] They have been a critical part of what has been labelled a new "Golden Era" in tennis.[8][9][10][11]. The final lasted 4 hours and 54 minutes in the Arthur Ashe Court. They contested in 71 finals, including 23 Grand Slam finals, more than any other trio in tennis history. Djokovic rebounded to win a record 36th Masters title in the Italian Open two weeks later. The only player to clinch the no.1 spot in the Federer-Nadala-Djokovic era. ", "Swiss tennis star Roger Federer confident of bouncing back to form", "Get ready for another Big Four-tnight at Wimbledon", "Wawrinka wins drama-charged Australian Open final", "Andy Murray six in world rankings, Stanislas Wawrinka up to three", "Andy Murray six in ATP world rankings, Wawrinka up to three", "Nishikori sees new generation threatening Big Four", "Berdych: Wawrinka showed us it is possible to win", "Novak Djokovic battles from behind to defeat Roger Federer and win BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells", "Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal to win Sony Open in Miami", "Djokovic defeats Nadal in three sets to win Rome Masters", "Rafael Nadal wins Madrid Masters after Kei Nishikori retires", "Andy Murray: World ranking drops to 10th lowest since 2008", "Wimbledon 2014: Is the end near for Nadal, Murray, Djokovic & Co? The Frenchman could never quite get the measure of Novak Djokovic though, losing 17 times to the Serb in as many encounters. Head-to-head, greatest matches, stats: here is our guide - ahead of their next clash in the 2022 Roland-Garros quarter-final Rafael Nadal et Novak Djokovic lors d'une exhibition Milan en 2016 Paul Bonnaud May 29, 2022 Share this story