Patrick McEnroe explains where the younger players are falling short when compared to the Big Three
The next generation of players have managed to close the gap to Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on the court, but off the court they “are not moving the needle for tennis the same way the older guys have”, according to Patrick McEnroe.
The Big Three of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have dominated the sport the past two decades with each winning 20 Grand Slams to jointly hold the record for most majors won by an individual.
They have also ruled the roost in the ATP Rankings as Andy Murray is the only other player to be world No 1 outside of the Big Three since February 2004.
However, the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas have had success in recent years with Medvedev winning the US Open this year and Thiem winning the title at Flushing Meadows last year.
‘The new top four are Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitispas’
Tsitsipas won the ATP Finals last year while Zverev won his second season-ending trophy on Sunday to go with his gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Former US Davis Cup captain McEnroe, though, says the younger players still don’t have the same off-court appeal as Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.
“The larger issue for tennis if I put on my ESPN hat and former U.S.T.A. hat is that, let’s be honest, these young guys at the moment are not moving the needle for tennis the same way the older guys have,” he told the New York Times.
“They are not selling tickets the first week of the US Open the same way that Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have been doing.”
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