'Young players want to beat Federer, Djokovic, Nadal in a Major final,' says Stich

Roger Federer claimed the first Major title at Wimbledon 2003, delivering the first out of 58 Majors won by the 'Big 3' members so far! Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have battled against each other in 23 Major finals out of 87 title matches they have reached combined, suffering only seven losses against the players who are not part of their incredible group. Andy Murray (30, Stan Wawrinka (3) and Juan Martin del Potro are the only players capable of beating Federer, Nadal or Djokovic in a Major final, with the young guns yet to prove their class against the most formidable rivals in the most challenging encounters. The former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich believes they all want to claim a Major trophy against someone from the top, although they are yet to achieve that. Dominic Thiem lost the last year's Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic. Simultaneously, Daniil Medvedev suffered two losses to Djokovic and Nadal at the US Open and the Australian Open, still seeking that elusive first Major trophy. 

"It is clear that Roger will stop at some point. Many would have thought that already five years ago. We have no influence on that. I would wish for him to win Wimbledon and say after the final: 'You know what, I had a sick time, I'll stop.' There couldn't be anything better, and that would give so much to the sport. You should never write him off because he is a player who has a gifted set of skills that help him to still play tennis that well at his age. He may have the problem that the younger generation no longer has this massive respect for him because he was out for a year. The mental side plays a significant role there.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic haven't lost too many Major finals.

Still, he remains a title contender at Wimbledon because of his All England Club mental strength and the greatest joy of playing there. The nice thing is that everyone is looking forward to his comeback and wants to see what happens. He has nothing to lose. He doesn't have to prove anything to himself or fans out there. He's really doing it because he thinks he can still win titles. As a spectator and fan, I naturally wish that the torch's passing would still happen during the active time of the 'Big Three.' It's the big goal of all young players that they would like to beat Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in a Major final.

Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro and Stan Wawrinka did that. It's up to the young generation now, and they are no longer 19. They are all 22, 23, 26. Dominic Thiem achieved it at the US Open. One would wish that they actively shape this transition, but that is looking into the future. We have a generation in which three players shaped this period extremely. Now is a chance for the others to step into the spotlight. The next generation will follow in their footsteps; I'm not worried about that," Michael Stich said.

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