'I really felt the difference between Roger Federer, Nadal, Djokovic', says ATP ace

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the two great symbols of the modern era, not only for their countless successes on the court, but also for their effort to increase the popularity of tennis. The Swiss and the Spaniard are currently paired at 20 Grand Slam titles, after the 34-year-old from Manacor achieved yet another triumphal ride at Roland Garros despite unprecedented conditions. World number 1 Novak Djokovic has managed to break the dominance of eternal rivals, putting 17 Slams on the board and being able to boast a favorable balance in the head-to-head with Roger and Rafa. Thanks to the new ranking system induced by the global pandemic, the Serbian has an excellent chance of breaking the all-time record of weeks at the top of the ATP ranking. Nadal and Djokovic will also be the men to beat at the 2021 Australian Open, which will kick off on February 8 at Melbourne Park, while Federer admitted that his participation in the Happy Slam is anything but safe. During a recent interview with 'The Digest Web', the Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka spoke at length about the Big 3. The 25-year-old Japanese, number 56 ATP, faced Djokovic twice and Federer once, losing all three challenges without not even a set. 

Nishioka on the Big 3

"(Novak Djokovic is) the strongest player at the moment," Yoshihito Nishioka said. "His ball control is accurate...I can't attack because the quality of each ball is so high. The basic quality of his shots is very high, way higher than mine. I really felt the difference between them." In a chat with The Age, Craig Tiley revealed that he had been in touch with Roger Federer and isn’t entirely ruling out his participation in the year’s first Major. The Swiss, who holds 6 Australian Open titles, however, said that the deferment of the event would give him a 2-3 week window to work on his fitness and even make himself available for the Major. Federer said he had hoped to regain full fitness by October, but his recovery is still behind schedule. He added that he is not willing to rush back into action and will return only when he feels ready. Nishioka also had the privilege of facing Rafael Nadal in the ATP Cup, managing to create serious headaches for the 20-time Grand Slam champion and leaving the field with the honor of arms. Recently, the ATP released the calendar for the first two months of 2021, waiting to know the fate of the Sunshine Double.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/34xKvY3