The debate over who stands as the greatest among the tennis Big Three will continue for years, mainly because this generation of tennis fans predominantly witnessed Djokovic’s era. Since 2011, Novak Djokovic has secured 23 Grand Slam titles, 35 Masters titles, and held the No. 1 ranking for 399 weeks. In contrast, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, combined, have won 17 Grand Slam titles, 29 Masters titles, and spent 139 weeks at No. 1.
The Big Three have accumulated 66 Grand Slam for over 23 years and former Williams coach Rick Macci believes that they all share important roles in which they played to raise the game.
Rick Macci talks on Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal careers
Serena and Venus Williams’ childhood coach, Rick Macci, recently sparked a discussion about who is the best among the Big Three in tennis: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal. Novak Djokovic is having the season of his life, having won his record 24th Grand Slam in September and recently triumphing at the Rolex Paris Masters, marking his 40th Masters 1000 title.
Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, has only appeared on the court three times this season due to a hip flexor injury he sustained in January. However, the Spanish star has expressed his intent to return to court in 2024.
As for Roger Federer, he retired from professional play in 2022 after his final game at the Laver Cup tournament. He continues to serve as an ambassador for the ATP and frequently participates in various tennis events.
Rick Macci shared his insights on the Big 3 on social media, praising Roger Federer for his exceptional serve and Nadal for his impressive topspin, while asserting that Novak Djokovic had the best career among them.
In June, Rick Macci discussed whether Djokovic would become the greatest grass court player of all time by winning Wimbledon this year. “Absolutely. If you win more grass court titles than anyone else, you definitely have something extraordinary. The evidence is clear. Also, consider his achievements in the Australian Open, the French Open, and the US Open,” Macci told Sportskeeda.
“But yeah if he wins, he’s the greatest grass court player of all time, the way he can defend but it’s his movement – the movement is the wild card, you know, better. As I tell everybody, Federer looked the best, Rafa ground the best, but ‘Djoker’ is the best. If he wins this tournament, he’s gonna go down as the greatest grass court player of all time and he’s not done yet. And remember, he didn’t play a few of these grand slams because of the pandemic because of the vaccine mandates. So if he wins this one, yeah you can mail it in. He is the best.”
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal Grand Slam records
The Big Three revolutionized and created a monopoly of titles for themselves. It was not that they shared it among each other, but each player worked so hard to beat the other. Since Wimbledon 2003, only seven finals out of 81 Grand Slams have featured either Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Novak Djokovic leads in the race of Big Titles Kings. The Serbian has won 24 Grand Slam titles, 6 Nitto ATP finals, 40 ATP Masters 1000 titles, while Rafael Nadal comes in second with 22 Grand Slam, 36 ATP Masters, and 1 Olympic medal. Roger Federer comes in last among them with 20 Grand Slam, 6 Nitto ATP Finals, and 28 ATP Masters titles.
