"Kind of mess up with everybody's expectation of what is normal": Raonic admits downside to Big Three dominating tennis
ATP
Milos Raonic
spoke about the dominance of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer
over the last 15 years after his exit from the National Bank Open Toronto.
The
Canadian tennis player had a good week at the Canadian Open, defeating 9th seed
Frances Tiafoe in the first round and then Taro Daniel before falling in the
round of 16 to American Mackenzie McDonald.
The former
world No. 3 commented on the challenge of competing in an era alongside
Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, and also Andy Murray:
“I don't
know. For me, obviously, I haven't played enough of the top guys to know, but I
would actually say it's a little bit the opposite,”
Raonic
commented on how the Big 3 changed the history of tennis by excluding other
great players from the past decades from the possibility of winning, and how
they altered the spectators' perception of the performance expected from tennis
players:
“I think
just three guys, to have three exemplary kind of legendary athletes in one
sport, not even in one generation, period, but in one sport at the same time,
you kind of mess up with everybody's expectation of what is normal; right?”
Raonic said
“If you
look back at a lot of tournaments, yeah, you would have the three of them
playing. Obviously, I'm talking, like, when all the three guys were taking
Masters series seriously. I think, you know, we've kind of forgotten a little
bit now because it's been kind of just a pure focus on Grand Slams for them for
the last couple years,” he added.
“But when I
was first on tour, it was pretty much them and Andy,”
Read also
The
33-year-old tennis player also mentioned that a new era of tennis is beginning,
where we could see a variety of Grand Slam champions in the coming years, and
not necessarily a dominance like what was seen with Big 3.
“Pretty
much, I would say, 60 per cent, 70 per cent of the semi-finals were them. And
maybe when it came to clay, David Ferrer was kind of the guy changing things up
a little bit. So, yeah, you had three guys that were there all the time and
winning most of the events.”
“But I
think you were still seeing the same kind of thing, the rotation of guys from
16 to 5 in the world, let's say, that were kind of maybe losing early in
events. You know, they weren't -- like, it's not like every week the top eight
seeds were all in the quarters; right? So it's quite different,” Milos Raonic
said.
“But tennis
was quite different before Roger came around. And then, you know, I think it's
just this kind of next period is probably what tennis -- obviously, Novak is
still around, and he's still going to be very involved in later stages of Grand
Slams.”
“I think
it's kind of like what tennis was when Andre and Sampras were kind of aging out
a little bit; right? You have a lot of different players that will win slams.
And if you look at history and you just look at the trend, there's many players
with one or two. And then, you know, the higher up you go with the numbers, the
quantity of players there drops off. I think just three guys really messed with
everybody's calibre -- or recalibration of what's normal,” he concluded
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
claps 0visitors 0
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- Vacherot is Mongasque, rather than Swiss. The tournament was Swiss :DTrwd7702-11-2026
- After a couple decades traveling to IIHF tourneys overseas... our family is done with it... and I will not be the only one!! Bad enough the NHL allows Ovachenko (a Putin Supporter and Campaigner) to live and play in the USA. Let's not forget the STATE SPONSORED RUSSIAN DOPING PROGRAMS still in effect today.
mandoist31-10-2026 - Osaka's mental state apparently does not allow her to reach any more Quarter Finals? I mean, she doesn't really have the time for tennis with all the pre-planning that must go into her 12 year-old "fashion" goals.mandoist29-10-2026
- With her money one would think she could afford a better team of Psychiatrists?mandoist29-10-2026
- Boss move, Sinner !Rapunzel27-10-2026
- Apparently still refusing to seek 'help' ...and still playing Dress-Up like a 10 year-old.mandoist27-10-2026
- Lena... Takin' care of businessmandoist25-10-2026
- Can you please stop publishing this nonsense? Stick to Tennis.mandoist25-10-2026
- Does Sinner need that 4.5 mil? I doubt it. He can make that with three modelling gigs!😅🤣Rapunzel21-10-2026
- Did "People Magazine" purchase this website? This nonstop storyline is bullshit.mandoist21-10-2026
