“Djokovic is the easiest to play,” Steve Johnson reflects on facing the Big-3

Former World No. 21 Steve Johnson, who retired in March this year during the Indian Wells qualifying rounds, recently gave an interview where he delved into his matchups against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.

The Big-3 dominated the Tour for 20 years, virtually without opposition from other players. The Federer-Nadal-Djokovic trio has won a combined 66 Grand Slam titles so far. While Federer has been enjoying retirement for two years now, Nadal is fighting to keep his career alive, with doubts surrounding his future, and Djokovic remains World No. 2, still in pursuit of adding more major titles.

Johnson, 34, appeared on the podcast "Nothing Major," where he paid tribute to the Big-3 as role models for young players. The American also shared his experience playing against them, and chose Djokovic as the ‘easiest to face.’

"Roger, Rafa, Novak—this is obviously a crazy statement, but, like Novak, he's the easiest to play of the three because he lets you play tennis,” Steve Johnson said. “Roger comes forward and just suffocates you, Rafa just bullies you around the court, and Novak makes you miss, making your targets become so incredibly small, it's damn near impossible."

Despite the great longevity of the Big-3, every era eventually comes to an end. The retirements of Nadal (38) and Djokovic (37) seem increasingly imminent, although the Serb remains one of the main contenders on the tour and recently won the gold medal at the Olympic Games. In two weeks, Djokovic will take to the court once again to defend his title at the US Open.

However, new names have emerged in recent years, threatening to become the new dominators of the Tour. Many have speculated about the successors of the Big-3 in the coming years, and Djokovic is clear about who could become the next Big-3

“Carlos, Jannik, and Holger are the big three. The next big three, if you want to call them. They are going to carry this sport,” the 24-time Grand Slam champion said. “I will hang on for as long as I feel like hanging on. As long as I’m able to win against them on the big stage. I’ll still keep going because why stop if you’re still winning the biggest titles? Once they start to kick my butt, then I will consider probably having a little break or maybe a permanent break from professional tennis.”