24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic will likely go down as the greatest to ever do it, but for many, many years, he had two massive rivals on the ATP Tour: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. While Federer has now retired, Rafa is still hoping for a comeback, but it's hard to imagine him competing for majors again given all the injury problems he's dealt with.
Speaking at the Davis Cup recently, Nole was asked if he misses the other two members of the Big 3 in Nadal and Federer. His answer? Absolutely spot-on.
Video courtesy of Reddit Tennis:
“I don't know about individually, but I know tennis misses them. They are legends of the sport, 2 sportsmen that left a huge legacy in tennis and the sport in general. Me personally, I don't know how much I miss them on the court.”
Of course, Novak doesn't miss them playing on the Tour. I mean, if they were, he'd have more competition for Grand Slams other than just Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. But were Federer and Rafa good for the sport? Without a doubt.
The rivalry between Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal is something we'll never see again in tennis. The Big 3 era is very much gone. While there are a few elite players on the Tour right now like Nole and Alcaraz in particular, there's also no shortage of youngsters making their mark. For example, Ben Shelton.
And let's be honest, Nole might not have 24 majors if his two biggest foes were still competing for titles.
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