Michael Stich blames Federer, Nadal and Djokovic for lack of authenticity in tennis

Former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich loves Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal but he also blames them for the lack of authenticity in modern tennis.

Former World number two Michael Stich has said Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal are “undisputedly the best players of all time,” but misses the emotions players used to exude on the court. He thinks that the focus has shifted more towards on-court historical successes instead of the characters and personalities of the players. All three of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal boast an impressive 20 Grand Slam titles each as they battle against each other to become the most successful male player ever.

Speaking to Blick he said:

"At some point, it was all about tennis. Now too. It’s about historical success, less about the people. You don’t know who today’s top professionals really are: ‘What do I know today about Nadal, Federer, or Djokovic?’ People rubbed against Goran (Ivanisevic). This ‘I like’, ‘I don’t like’, ‘he’s crazy’ or ‘he’s brilliant’ [way of thinking], that was lost."

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He further said:

“The fans want to see emotions. With Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, undisputedly the greatest tennis players of all time, I sometimes miss that. Personally, I miss the authenticity of the players on the pitch. What defines their character, real feelings and reactions.”

Asked what kind of emotion Stich was looking for her reference Marcos Baghdatis smashing four rackets in the first round of the 2012 Australian Open: