Wilander applauds Djokovic for rising above Big-3 era: “He’s on a different journey than worrying about Federer and Nadal”

Mats Wilander praised Novak Djokovic for ‘surviving’ the dominance of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the top of tennis and then surpassing both in most major achievements, including the most Grand Slam titles.

With Rafael Nadal’s imminent retirement, the era of the Big-3 is coming to an end. Alongside Federer and Djokovic, they dominated men's tennis for 20 years, amassing 66 Grand Slam titles among them.

Nadal, 38, recently announced that he will retire after the Davis Cup in Málaga, where Spain will face the Netherlands. With Federer retired since 2022 and Nadal bidding farewell, only Djokovic, a year younger than the Spaniard, remains active on the tour.

The Serbian began his career under the shadow of arguably the two greatest tennis players of all time up to that point. Djokovic won his first Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open and had to wait three years to claim his second, again in Melbourne in 2011. That year marked a turning point for Djokovic, as he won three Grand Slams. By the start of 2011, Federer had already secured 16 major titles, and Nadal had 9.

"I think Novak is on a different journey than worrying about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in a way," former world No. 1 Mats Wilander commented. "He surpassed them in Grand Slam victories and pretty much in every record that is worth counting. So I think that there's no threat, obviously, from Rafael Nadal to Novak Djokovic. At least, I don't think so now."

"I think Novak has told us all, 'Hey, I want to keep playing because these guys, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and the rest, they are so good, and are pushing me to be better and better and better,’" the Swedish former player added. “Maybe he's not better than he used to be, but to him, he's putting out his best every single day, and he's able to do that even after having knee surgery."

Wilander also mentioned that Djokovic should be proud of competing against Federer and Nadal throughout his career and ultimately coming out on top in terms of records. "I think Novak will feel so proud," Wilander said. "I mean, sad in a way, but he lived through the storm. Yes, he's younger than both Roger and Rafa, and Andy Murray and him are the same age or close to it, but he survived it all."

"He is the winningest male tennis player ever. I think he would just be proud. I think he sees it more than anyone, the effect that Federer and Nadal have had on Alcaraz and Sinner and the guys behind him," the 7-time Grand Slam champion added. "I think Novak has felt the effect of the big two, Rafa and Roger, more than any player. That's going to make him feel so good because he was part of that. And Novak's impact is very clear when it comes to the physicality of all the players today."