How To Play Like a Champion (Part 8) - The Big Three of Tennis

A tribute to The Big 3 of tennis (Djokovic, Nadal, Federer) in the twilight of their era

Comrades: The Big 3 are immortal legends.

After 150 memorable battles over 25 years, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer will never play each other again in a competitive tennis match. Nadal announced his retirement on October 10, two years after Federer rode off into the sunset. This triumvirate has earned their thrones in the Mount Olympus of all athletics. For a quarter century, they pushed each other and their beloved sport to new sublime heights. Every time they clashed, the stakes were historic. Novak is the GOAT only because Roger and Rafa forced him to raise his game to surpass them. They are each so iconic that they have their own logos.

We will be telling our grandchildren about watching them play. Never will we witness such greatness and contrasts in tennis again. Federer is the icy Swiss from the Alps, Nadal the fiery Spaniard from the Mediterranean, and Djokovic the gritty Serbian from the Balkans. Roger is the smooth paper, Rafa the sharp scissor, Novak the impervious rock. The God Emperor Kings of Grass, Clay, and Hard courts respectively.

The Big 3’s combined records are mind boggling:

• 66 Grand Slams: Nole 24 + Rafa 22 + Roger 20 = 17 full years

• 947 Weeks at #1: Nole 428 + Roger 310 + Rafa 209 = 18 full years

• 295 Tournaments Won: Roger 103 + Nole 99 + Rafa 92

• All 3 won the career Grand Slam and only Roger didn’t win an Olympic Gold Medal

• 150 matches played against each other, 49 of which were at Grand Slams (Total Victories: Nole 58 + Nadal 53 + Federer 39)

• 71 finals played against each other, 23 of which were at Grand Slams

• Nole won 10 Australian Opens, Rafa won 14 French Opens, and Roger won 8 Wimbledons - all unfathomable records that will never be surpassed

• At least one of them won a Grand Slam every year between 2002 and 2024

• Novak was the heavy favorite to win 2020 Wimbledon (cancelled due to COVID), 2020 US Open (disqualified due to overreaction over an accidental ball hit towards line judge), as well as the 2022 Australian and 2022 US Open (banned due to fascist vaccine mandates) - which would have given him 28 total Grand Slams

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Nadal vs. Federer (24-16)

The original rivalry. A classic tale of usurper rising up against the king. Fierce rivals who became close friends.

Best Match: Wimbledon 2008. The clay court specialist dethroned the grass master, who had won 5 Wimbledons in a row. As darkness set in, Rafa pulled it out in the fifth set.

Best off-court moment: Uncontrollable giggles filming a charity commercial.

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Djokovic vs. Federer (27-23)

The most dramatic head to head. Roger lost to Nole 3 times after holding match points at Grand Slams. Tennis history hinged on those 6 points. Fed fans resented Nole for refusing to yield to their hero, but now they respect him for it - especially after COVID.

Best Match: 2019 Wimbledon. The match was so tight it had to be settled in a golden tiebreak at 12-all in the 5th set. After a rule change the following year, this will never happen again.

Best off-court moment: Laver Cup 2022 at Roger’s retirement tribute. Roger made Novak bawl after a few private words, which neither will share. They had a few spicy skirmishes over the years, but that moment and Novak’s speech show how much genuine admiration and respect they have for each other.

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Djokovic vs. Nadal (31-29)

The most brutal and frequently played matchup. Their grueling battles would exhaust the crowds watching endless points for endless hours. You could feel every rally in your gut, as if they were boxers exchanging body blows.

Best Match: 2012 Australian Open Final. The longest Grand Slam final in history at almost 6 hours. Both were so relentless that only one could take the trophy from the other’s cold, dead hands. Novak prevailed.

Best off-court moment: Following the match, both players were so exhausted they could barely stand. Someone finally figured out that they needed chairs. Nole handed water to Rafa first, a gentleman’s gesture between warriors.

The final match between the two was an emphatic 6-1, 6-4 triumph by Novak at the 2024 Olympics on Rafa’s home court - Roland Garros clay:

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Carlos Alcaraz is the charismatic heir apparent. He is a freakish combination of Roger’s creative shotmaking, Nadal’s fiery never say die attitude, and Novak’s mental strength. At only 21 years old, he has surpassed The Big 3 at that age - he wasn’t even born when they started competing on tour. He has already won 4 Grand Slams, 2 of them against Djokovic in the past 2 Wimbledons. That ties Federer’s record of emerging victorious in his first 4 Grand Slam finals. Alongside The Big 3, Rod Laver, and Bjorn Borg, he is only the 6th man in history to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. He and Jannik Sinner split the 4 Grand Slams in 2024. They will have to repeat that feat for a full decade in order to catch Novak’s record of 24 slams. Who knows what epic rivalries and matches are yet to come? Tennis is in great hands.

The changing of the guard:

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For previous editions of How To Play like a Champion, check out the Pleasure section.