'Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are not happy with 20', says former Top 5

2020 was a year heavily conditioned by the global pandemic, which forced the leaders of both circuits to suspend competitions for almost six months. However, Rafael Nadal took advantage of Roland Garros - held exceptionally in the autumn - to equal the record of 20 Grand Slam titles of his eternal rival Roger Federer. The Swiss phenomenon, for his part, only played in the Australian Open this year, before undergoing a double operation on his right knee to resolve an injury. According to what was declared at the Laureus Awards, the former world number 1 could skip the 2021 edition of the Happy Slam as he is not yet at 100% from a physical point of view. Novak Djokovic is still at 17 Majors, after failing a gluttonous chance at the US Open and clearly losing the Roland Garros final. During a lengthy interview with Tennisnet, Pat Cash expressed all his admiration for Nadal's record in Paris. The Australian stressed that the Big 3 are still super motivated despite having achieved much more than anyone else in the history of the sport.

Cash on the Big 3's attitude

"Think of any football team that is simply unbeatable in any stadium or someone who wins the Tour de France year after year. 13 times! It is actually unthinkable. If you had said that 20 years ago, you would have been locked in a madhouse," Pat Cash said. Pat Cash also believes that the number of Slams amassed by Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic is a remarkable feat. The Australian is seemingly in awe of the Big 3's motivation levels, and he pointed out how they refuse to stop fighting despite having achieved far more than anyone before them. "It is actually unimaginable that these guys won 20, 20 and 17 Grand Slams," Cash continued. "There is something that motivates the three of them. It's fascinating. I was happy to win a Grand Slam title, to win the Davis Cup. I was very happy with my career. And Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are not happy with 20. And two or three Davis Cups." This is Federer’s longest injury stint of his career. He has now missed 11 months. He is rehabilitating and trying to get back his physical fitness. But recently Federer revealed that he hasn’t reached 100% yet. He will fight the clock to reach the desired fitness levels for 2021. Therefore, it is obvious that Federer needs more time to prepare for the upcoming season. “I’ve done a lot of physio and physical work lately, now let’s see how the tennis goes. I wish I was more ready, but at the same time I’m happy where I stand. We had a plan and decided to take as much time as we need. I’m still not at 100%.”

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3ancNII