Novak Djokovic has ‘survived’ Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal rivalry, says former world No 1
Novak Djokovic has seen off the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal rivalry, but he now wants to continue testing himself against the younger generation, according to Mats Wilander.
With 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal announcing his retirement last week, Djokovic will be the last man standing from the Big Three as Federer stepped away from tennis in September 2022.
Federer and Nadal initially formed the Big Two as they set several records, but Djokovic became such a dominant figure that it became the Big Three.
The Serbian would eventually overtake several of the Fedal – as the Swiss and Spaniard are fondly known as to tennis fans – records. He surpassed their Grand Slam tallies as he sits on 24 compared to Nadal’s 22 and Federer’s 20, and also set a record for most weeks at No 1 as he has topped the ATP Rankings for an incredible 428 weeks in total.
Former world No 1 Wilander hailed Djokovic for “surviving it all”.
“I think Novak will feel so proud,” he told Eurosport.
“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, I think, are the same age or pretty close, 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 [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner and the guys behind him.
“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 the effect of Novak is very clear when it comes to the physicality of all the players today.”
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With his two great rivals no longer around, there had been suggestions that Djokovic’s own retirement might not be too far off.
However, the 37-year-old insists he wants to continue playing and Wilander feels Alcaraz and Sinner’s rise have given him a fresh challenge.
“I think Novak is on a different journey than worrying about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in a way,” the Swede said.
“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 and the rest, they are so good, and are pushing me to be better and better and better’.
“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.”
