Dominating? Yes. Unbeatable? Almost. Untouchable? Together, without a doubt. The Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been all of the above during most of their careers. At the moment, as the second week of another Grand Slam championship they've dominated begins, the three combine for 53 Slam titles.
But the trio has been especially selfish with Slam trophies during the past three years and nowhere more so than at Wimbledon, where all three have again reached the Round of 16.
Djokovic, Federer and Nadal have won every Grand Slam title since the 2017 Australian Open, when Federer beat Nadal in five sets to complete his fairytale comeback from knee surgery. Since 2003, the all-time greats have won 14 of the past 16 Wimbledon titles – Federer with eight, Djokovic four, and Nadal two. Andy Murray, their friend and former rival who is competing in doubles this fortnight with France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert, nabbed the 2013 and 2016 editions.
“If you ask me about Federer, Nadal, I am grateful to be part of the era with them, because I think they made me the player I am today,” Djokovic said. “The success that I had, especially on the Grand Slams, was also due to the need to improve and to get better to win against these guys.”
Djokovic, the top seed and defending champion at SW19, and faces #NextGenATP Frenchman Ugo Humbert for a place in the quarter-finals. The Serbian beat Poland's Hubert Hurkacz to reach his 12th Round of 16 at Wimbledon, second to only Federer and Jimmy Connors (16).
Big Three Slam Streaks
|
Consecutive Grand Slams Won |
Time Period |
|
18 |
2005 Roland Garros to 2009 Wimbledon |
|
11 |
2010 Australian Open to 2012 Wimbledon |
|
10 |
2017 Australian Open to 2019 Roland Garros |
The Serbian had his own fairytale story by winning his 13th Slam at last year's Wimbledon. Djokovic hadn't won a tour-level title in 379 days – 2017 Eastbourne on 1 July – and hadn't hoisted a Slam trophy for 25 months. But as his son shouted, “Daddy! Daddy!” after Djokovic beat South African Kevin Anderson, the Serbian had another Grand Slam title to celebrate.
“I couldn't pick the better place, to be honest, in the tennis world to peak and to make a comeback,” Djokovic said.
Federer, the second seed at Wimbledon, has only kept rising after winning the 2017 Australian Open. The Swiss has won 14 tour-level titles since January 2017, including his eighth Wimbledon two years ago and his 100th title in February at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (d. Tsitsipas).
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Flashback: Djokovic Wins Fourth SW19 Title
But a record-extending ninth Wimbledon title evaded Federer last year. Anderson saved one match point and came back from two sets down in their quarter-final to pull off the upset.
Federer, however, started the Big Three's domination at the All-England Club in 2003, and perhaps it will be Federer who continues it on 14 July. The Swiss won his 10th NOVENTI OPEN title last month in Halle, the first time Federer has won a tournament more than nine times. Federer meets Matteo Berrettini on 'Manic Monday'.
“I’m aware that usually when it went well for me here in Halle I’ve also had very successful Wimbledons,” Federer said. “This definitely sets it up nicely and next to winning, I also feel good physically.”
Federer's NOVENTI OPEN-Wimbledon Success
|
Year |
Halle Result |
Wimbledon Finish |
|
2003 |
Champion |
Champion |
|
2004 |
Champion |
Champion |
|
2005 |
Champion |
Champion |
|
2006 |
Champion |
Champion |
|
2008 |
Champion |
Finalist |
|
2013 |
Champion |
Second Round |
|
2014 |
Champion |
Finalist |
|
2015 |
Champion |
Finalist |
|
2017 |
Champion |
Champion |
Nadal showed last year that he's more than capable of competing on grass, despite a limited schedule because of injuries. The two-time Wimbledon champion (2008, 2010) finished better than the fourth round for the first time since 2011 and pushed Djokovic better than anyone, falling 10-8 in the fifth set of their semi-final.
The 33-year-old, who faces Joao Sousa on Monday in the fourth round, is be armed with belief in London, having won his past 15 matches and his unprecedented 12th Roland Garros title last month in Paris.
“As everybody knows, I love to play on grass,” said Nadal. “I know I played a great event last year. I have been able to be very close to winning another title there... Honestly, the last two years that I played in Wimbledon, I felt close again.”
Did You Know?
This is the first time since 2012 at Wimbledon the Big Three are the Top 3 seeds and the fifth time (2008, 2010-11-12, 2019) overall.
Editor's Note: This story was originally published 29 June 2019 but has been updated to reflect results from the first week of Wimbledon.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2XCRkoZ
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