Djokovic: 'Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and me are in the twilight phase'

While still competitive at the highest levels, the Big 3 have reached the final stage of their respective careers. Novak Djokovic occupies the top of the world rankings at the age of 33, in addition to having won his ninth title at the Australian Open in early 2021. Over the past few seasons, the Serbian phenomenon has decided to focus his attention mainly on Grand Slam, with the aim of equaling and surpassing the eternal rivals in the all-time ranking. Rafael Nadal has had a lot of difficulties up to now, also thanks to an annoying back problem that has limited his performance. The 34-year-old Spaniard knows he has Roland Garros on his side, despite the increasingly fierce competition. In the event of a 14th triumph in Paris, Rafa would reach 21 Grand Slams for the first time, overtaking his eternal rival Roger Federer. The latter will go hunting for the last seal at Wimbledon in the summer, without forgetting the Tokyo Olympics well etched in his mind. At a press conference in Rome, Djokovic stressed that generational change is inevitable in any area of ​​life.

Novak Djokovic on the Next Gen players

Similarly, in tennis, the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal are in the twilight phase of their careers. There will be a time sooner or later when the young guns begin their domination over these three guys. The 18-time Grand Slam winner spoke on this topic and stated, “The results prove that they are earning more than before. I mean, obviously, these guys are playing, you know, more or less every week. There are guys like Tsitsipas, Zverev, Berrettini, Rublev who win against all of us, who play a lot and move up the rankings.” The 33-year-old player further added, “Medvedev, of course, is also fighting for the top spots. Dominic Thiem, he’s been there for several years too. It is inevitable that they will take over. The changes to the top of the leaderboard will happen. Whether it’s in a month, a year, or whatever, I don’t know.” Newly-crowned Madrid Open champion Alexander Zverev recently gave his thoughts on Rafael Nadal's prospects at this year's Roland Garros. Speaking to the media ahead of his participation at the Italian Open, Zverev asserted that Nadal was still the favorite to triumph in Paris despite his recent setbacks. "He's (Rafael Nadal) still the favorite, that hasn't changed," Zverev said. "You have to beat him. The chance for him is relatively great. Our job is to prevent that from happening."

 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3uMG3jC