Tennis Big Three: Who Dominates Grand Slams?

It cannot be denied that the trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic stand as the most dominant players in the history of tennis. Luckily, we have witnessed them play on the tennis court in the same years, leading to the golden era of the ATP Tour, which has lasted for decades even with one of the three greats already retired from the game.

Why the Big Three Era is an Important Part of Tennis

Let’s be clear, each of these players has managed to come up with impressive strides in the game that they have been considered tennis greats on their won. Together, the trio have literally owned the tennis stage for more than two decades, with a collective title tally of 66 major singles tournament victories. But how relevant are they when it comes to the game? It goes beyond just the wins, games played, the records, and many more.

The Tennis Big 3 era is generational image

A lot of tennis greats believe that the Big Three was the golden era of tennis since 2008. It was compared to a time when there was intense competition from the likes of Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson and John Newcombe throughout the 1960s and that of Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl during the late 1970s and early 1980s. That level of separation from other players in the game has been quite the story, and many young players have dared enter the Tour with impressive performances, but none of them have surpassed nor have managed to even put a dent on their winning strides.

This trio of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic make up the winningest stars in the game image

On top of that, the trio make up the top three of the prize money leaders in the ATP Tour, which amounts to a total of $447,976,812 as of the time of writing. And also, the three stars collectively own the sport’s 10 biggest single-season payouts that range from $13.06 million to $21.15 million. The trio boasts a winning record of 3,432-719, with a winning percentage of 82.7%, which is quite promising considering the fact that the trio of stars are fun to watch when they dominate the game.

The Big Three: Performances Analyzed

When it comes to Grand Slam tournaments, these three stars are the all-time title leaders in the game. Novak Djokovic leads the ploy with a total of 24 majors, Rafael Nadal with 22, and Roger Federer with 20. Each of these players has also completed a career Grand Slam, winning all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single season. Djokovic has completed it three times, Nadal twice, and Federer once.

But who is the best among the three stars? Let us break down their performances over the years.

Roger Federer

Roger Federer image

Federer has been the best player in the game for many years as fans can remember. The Swiss star has won a total of 1,251 games in his career, with a total of 103 titles throughout his career. Federer was the first to break through a total of 20 Grand Slams in his career before both Djokovic and Nadal surpassed his record after his retirement. Federer holds a record of eight total Wimbledon titles, an Open Era record of five titles in the US Open, six victories in the Australian Open, and surprisingly, only one title in the French Open. Federer has been praised for his impressive versatility on the court and was popular for being a massive winner on grass courts.

Federer has appeared in a total of 31 major finals, which is second behind Djokovic, and that record includes a tally of 10 straight Grand Slam finals runs. For those who didn’t know, Federer also held the world no. 1 spot for a total of 310 weeks, which is the second-most for a male player.

Rafael Nadal

The Spanish Maestro, Rafael Nadal has been one of the best players on the clay court. The Spanish star won a total of 1,075 games, including 22 Grand Slam titles. Dubbed as the “King of Clay”, Nadal won a record total of 14 French Open titles. His 36 Masters titles make up his 92 ATP-level titles, including 63 victories on clay courts, and holds a record of 81 straight victories on clay courts, which is the longest win streak on a single surface in the Open Era. Nadal has also won the 2008 Olympics with a Gold medal, and was the youngest player to ever achieve the Career Grand Slam at the age of 24.

Rafael Nadal image

The Spanish star remains an active player in the ATP Tour, although he has not played much since his injury in the previous season and has fallen to a world no. 264 as of the time of writing. Nadal is definitely the best Spanish player to ever grace the game, and his status as the king of Roland-Garros makes him an irreplaceable icon amongst the tennis legends.

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic image

Arguably the most competitive among the three players in the Big Three thanks to his longevity in the game, Novak Djokovic is one of the best Serbian players to ever play the game with his success in the game. As of the time of writing, Djokovic has won a total of 1,106 games with a total of 98 career titles, which includes a record of 10 Australian Open titles, seven Wimbledon titles, four titles in the US Open, and three title wins in the French Open. Currently sitting as the world no. 2, it cannot be denied that Djokovic has more to win in his career, assuming that he continues at his best health in the season.

The Serbian star is the only player to have completed a triple Career Grand Slam, including a Career Golden Masters twice, with a record of 40 Masters victories and a whopping seven victories in the ATP Tour Finals. With Federer out of the picture and Nadal reeling from injuries, Djokovic has successfully placed himself at the top of the tennis world in the past few years, which gives him an arguable case for his success as the best player amongst the Big Three.

Who is the Best Star Among the Tennis Big Three?

This debate has been going on for too long, but one can say that this can go either way among the three players. If we are going to base on the dominance by Nadal on the Roland-Garros, then there’s no secret that he is the best on that end. If the Australian Open success has to be accounted for, then it would be Djokovic’s title for the taking, and if we are going to bring in consistency and success across various tournaments as a factor, then it would be Federer’s win, although the two stars would not be that far behind.

Each of the tennis Big Three is a top star on their own image

Still, it is hard to define a definite winner among these three stars, given that they are impressive players in their own right. It may be time to put this debate to rest, and argue instead that they are called the big three for a reason – because they have established tennis’ popularity across different countries with their explosive level of play, which just means that their success in the game should not overshadow one another at this point.

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