Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djo0kovic have now dominated the tennis circuit for decades, winning 60 Grand Slams among themselves. While a lot of people feel that the players born in this era are unlucky as they could have won a lot more in their absence, Andy Murray feels lucky to share the court with these legends.
Recently in an interview in Antwerp, Murray spoke about a lot of things starting from his rivalry with Djokovic, Federer and Nadal, how he enjoyed playing against the big 3 and a lot more.
When quizzed whether he regrets being born in this era with these legends, Murray claimed that he is rather lucky. However, he stated that it would be a lot easier had the Big 3 not existed. But he also said in the same breath that he would have missed the challenge of playing against them in big tournaments.
“Do I regret being born at the same time as them? It’s a difficult question,” Murray said. “Obviously, on the one hand, I regret it because I tell myself that I could have won a lot more if they hadn’t been there or if I had been 5 or 6 years younger. I would have had more opportunities. On the other hand, I had the opportunity to play and challenge the best players in history in the biggest tournaments.”
The Scot highlighted how he could face each of the top three players at their favourite venues. Roland Garros for Nadal, Wimbledon for Federer and Australian Open for Djokovic. Murray also added that playing against them regularly only improved him as a player.
Speaking about the players from the current generation who can take over the Big 3, Murray named Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. He pointed out the talent in both the players and specially mentioned Medvedev’s complete game.
“For me, right now, Medvedev is best equipped to win on hard,” Murray said. “I think his game is more complete than the others, (but) on clay it’s hard to say.”
“Tsitsipas is not bad at all but there are several other guys who could win too,” the two-time Wimbledon champion added.
Lastly, Murray completely dismissed the idea of any of the new players winning 20 Grand Slams or more to equal the tally of the Big 3.
