Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo believes the era of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic is coming to an end, even if the Serbian still has some fuel left in his tank. Roger Federer, the first to come on to the scene, retired back in 2022 after the Laver Cup.
Rafael Nadal has been troubled with a plethora of injuries and many feel that he is in the twilight of his glorious career. Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, is still going strong and he is fit as a fiddle.
Both Nadal and Djokovic have won 22 Grand Slams each and it will be interesting to note who will end their respective careers with the most Majors. Meanwhile, the Big 3, as they have renownedly known, have dominated the game in the last two decades.
“The new generation broke into the top positions of the rating -analysed. In the big tournaments a lot of finalists start appearing, occasional champions like Carlos or Daniil Medvedev. The era of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic is coming to an end, even if Djokovic still has a few years ahead,” Cerundolo said in an interview with New Rebeat.
The youngster added that it is a good sign for the game as a lot of young players are rising through the ranks.
“It’s a good moment for tennis, because you don’t see it as impossible. Until a few years ago you could see Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Murray, maybe Del Potro… You could see four, five or six established players, who it was impossible to eliminate and beat in a Grand Slam or in important tournaments. Now there is a very big change in the circuit, with Alcaraz, with Tsitsipas, with Ruud… Many are my age,” he expressed.
The Argentine added that if the young players have to beat Novak Djokovic, they need to constantly improve themselves at the top level.
“The best tennis player, the number 1 and the champion of the last Grand Slam. He’s impressive because, with everything he’s already won, he still wants to play and win. I respect that a lot. And I think it’s good for tennis that it continues at that level, that it continues to demand from us. If we want to beat him, we have to keep working to improve,” Cerundolo said.
