Murray ended the year with two Masters titles for the fourth consecutive year, and five titles in total.[54]. The defeat saw Nadal slip to seventh in the rankings, his first time outside the top five in more than a decade. However, Wawrinka has reached seven fewer Grand Slam singles finals, has won 13 fewer Masters titles than Murray, and has peaked at only number 3 in the world rankings. Thats amazing for me. Thiem has lost the crucial matches against them, being bested in two French Open finals by Nadal and an Australian Open final against Djokovic. 1 Nadal in five sets to reach his first major final in nearly two years. Murrays record against Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic is why, for a time, there was a big four. The 34-year-old Serbian won his first Grand Slam title 13 years ago when he beat Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in four sets at the 2008 Australian Open. Federer 2019 Wimbledon final Vs Djokovic: In this match : Federer overall won more points than Djokovic (218-204) Federer won way more winners than Djokovic (94-54) Federer served more aces than Djokovic (25-10) Federer won more 1st serve % points than Djokovic (78%-74%) Federer won more receiving points when compared to Djokovic (36%- 31%) Djokovic has been ranked No. Nadal has 22 major victories, Djokovic 21 and Federer 20 the last coming at the Australian Open in 2018 at the age of 36. [111] Djokovic claimed the other spot in the final, to set up a rematch of the previous year's final, and defeated Federer in four sets to win his second major of the year, denying Federer a record eighth Wimbledon title for the second year in a row. Overall, Djokovic's 2015 season was one of the greatest in the history of the game, with him winning 11 titles (the most since Federer won 12 in 2006) including, for the second time, three majors. Daniil Medvedev won their US Open final in straight sets to leave Djokovic tied with Federer on 20 major triumphs. Alexander Zverev has beaten Nadal and Federer once on clay and grass, and Djokovic thrice on hardcourt Alexander Zverev's sole victory over Rafael Nadal on clay came in the 2021 Madrid. Its tough to remember a player robbed of as much talent by injury as the Argentinian, who lost his forehand to wrist injuries before he could even really get his career started. 1 for a record 378 weeks, Federer for 310 weeks, Nadal for 209 weeks, and Murray for 41 weeks. By the end of the 2002 season, he was ranked sixth in the world. 2. 1 ranking, all since 2012, saw him listed more comfortably alongside the other three members during the mid-2010s. Federer was defeated in the quarterfinals by Hubert Hurkacz. 4 in November, the first time he had been ranked outside the top three since 2002. He reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, but lost to unseeded Marco Cecchinato. He defeatedNole, 46, 64, 63, 64 to win the mens singles tennis and it was Wawrinkas secondmajortitle. He failed to win a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2002, losing to Nadal for the fourth time in a French Open final. Andy MurraydefeatedNovak Djokovicin the2013 Wimbledon Open final, 64, 75, 64 to win the singles tennis title at the All England Club. The player who has gotten the better of the Fab 3 most of the time. Between 2008 and 2010, Djokovic and later Murray attempted to end the duopoly of Federer and Nadal at the summit of tennis. Here's a look at the three players who have beaten Djokovic the most times in the finals of Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events over the years: #3 Roger Federer (beat Novak Djokovic in 3 Masters 1000 and 1 Grand Slam final) Novak Djokovic has dominated Roger Federer in the finals of big tournaments. [125] In the 2019 Davis Cup, Spain won its sixth title (its first since 2011), defeating Canada in the final 20. On all the three occasions he defeated the world No. Since 2004, however, only four men have been ranked No. ATP team competitions: Laver Cup, ATP Cup, United Cup, Fellow top players, including David Ferrer, Tom Berdych, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Stan Wawrinka and Andy Roddick have all spoken about the dominance of the Big Three (and Murray until 2017) and the challenge they have faced in matching them. Rafael Nadal won his first ATP Tour match aged 15 in April 2002,[20] and he defeated Federer in their first meeting at the 2004 Miami Open.[21]. The Big Three are the top-three all-time men's leaders in Grand Slam singles titles won, as well as finals reached. They have each completed a Career Grand Slam by winning all four majors at least once, with Djokovic and Nadal completing it twice for a double Career Grand Slam. Three of those have surprisingly come in straight sets -- the 2017 Rome Masters, the 2018 Madrid Masters and the 2019 Barcelona Open. They have collectively occupied the top-three positions of the year-end ATP rankings eight times; in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2018, and 2019. Those guys weren't good or what? Federer and Nadal once again met in the Miami Open final, where Federer again won. [80] Murray and Federer fell to sixth and eighth in the rankings respectively,[81] and after the tournament, several players expressed the opinion that they were now capable of challenging the Big Four. With the win, Nadal became the first player to win majors on three different surfaces in a single calendar year, known as the Surface Slam. Just because you look back maybe 15 years, then you have Sampras, Edberg, Becker, and Agassi, I don't know who else. The American's wins came in the 2005-06 period before the Mallorcan grew to be a near-invincible force on the ATP tour. During the 2010s, Federer's lead gradually shrank, culminating in Nadal tying Federer's record 20 titles with his win at the 2020 French Open. [95] The US Open 2014 saw the Big Four's collective grip on the major titles slip still further, however, as Kei Nishikori and Marin ili beat Djokovic and Federer in the semifinals respectively to contest the first Slam final featuring none of the Big Four since the 2005 Australian Open, and the first time since 2003 that multiple first-time Grand Slam tournament winners have been crowned in a single season. Nadal ended 2019 as the world No. He competed for Serbia in the 2008. Murray won 19 matches against his three great rivals: 11 times against Federer and Djokovic, seven times against Nadal. Raonic, a one-time Wimbledon finalist, has a 3-11 record against Roger Federer after having registered wins at the 2014 Paris Masters, the 2016 Brisbane International and the 2016 Wimbledon semifinals. Novak Djokovic: Probably no Serbia Open in 2024, Ion Tiriac wants his licence back, ATP Acapulco: Taro Daniel scores first top-10 win despite beating Novak Djokovic, ATP Dubai: Lorenzo Sonego keeps Rafael Nadal in top-10, Novak Djokovic passes Rafael Nadal, matches Roger Federer. The World No. Here are a few ways to consider their gaudy stats. (W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (WL) winloss record. It's just different times and definitely more athletic, there's no doubt about that. The Slovak triumphed in two out of three matches against Federer. [43] At the US Open, Murray was upset in the fourth round by Marin ili, while Djokovic reached his first Grand Slam semifinal of the season, losing in straight sets to Federer. [4], The Big Four was used to describe the larger quartet of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Andy Murray from about 2008 to 2017, though the term is occasionally still used when referring to the group in that period. Representing their countries, the Big Four have played vital roles in leading their countries to victory at the Davis Cup, ATP Cup, and the Olympics. [126] This was Nadal's fifth Davis Cup title. [158][159][160][161][162], The presence of the Big Four is generally seen to have had a positive impact on tennis, making the sport more exciting and in turn attracting more attention. I always try to watch the finals of Grand Slams because thats where the best players are playing., He added, Before today, for me it wasnt a dream. I cried a little bit on the court. In fact, the likeable Swiss is just one Wimbledon title away from completing the career slam. He followed up this solid run of form with a record-setting fifth Indian Wells and record-equaling sixth Miami masters titles. Federer is the greatest grass court player and he will prove a more formidable challenge for . He also joined Nadal in ownership of double digit titles at a single major. I never expected to win a Grand Slam. The 2013 season continued similarly, with Djokovic, Federer and Murray occupying three of the four semifinal slots at the Australian Open, with Nadal still suffering from an injury. First up was Nadal, who he had never previously faced. However, there are a few players who have a winning record against him. .mw-parser-output .citation{word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}^ Outright record underlined. Murray beat Federer in a five-set semifinal match, meaning all four members of the Big Four had beaten each other at least once at a major, but he lost to Djokovic in the final. Djokovic leads both Federer and Nadal in head-to-head matchups, 26-22 and 28-26, respectively. The French Open itself was postponed to late September, while Wimbledon was cancelled. They have been ranked as world No. In 2012, when asked about his Davis Cup comments, Federer . Maybe what we are learning is the sheer physical effort required to compete with the big three. The early 2000s were seen as a time of transition in tennis, with older champions retiring and a few players breaking through at the very top of the game. Let us never forget he was a serious player in his prime. While Federer came out on top of their first four encounters, taking 10 consecutive sets from a youthful Djokovic in 2006-2007 during a time when he was the undisputed No. "I have to pay a great tribute to Rafa and Roger. He has beaten Federer in all three Wimbledon finals they've played, and has only lost to him at . Four of the five Masters tournaments typically held between the Australian and the French Open were cancelled, with the Italian Open the only one to be postponed. [68] A back injury ended Murray's season prematurely,[69] but he finished fourth in the rankings and was the only player besides Nadal and Djokovic to win a Grand Slam event or Masters title (at Wimbledon and Miami respectively). 1 ranking for the entirety of the period. Defeating the Big 3 of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer is what most players on the ATP tour have aspired to do over the last decade and a half. The Scotsman became the first British man sinceFred Perryin1936to win a major title. Seppi remained winless against Novak Djokovic in 12 encounters that spanned a decade between 2006 and 2016. He acknowledged that new talents are emerging all the time, and that the sport is constantly evolving. Nadal returned in Montreal where he defended his title. Federer did not compete in the 2021 Australian Open in order to recover from surgery. Many young players who rise up the ranks nowadays point to either of . Thus, for the first time since 2001, neither Nadal nor Federer would be present at the year-end championships. Lleyton Hewitt, Tommy Haas and Djokovic are the only players to have beaten Federer more than once with the latter claiming wins at Wimbledon in 2014, 2015 and 2019. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has defeated the Big Three 16 times. This also prompted the first uses of the term 'Big Four' to refer to the players,[38] although results saw Nadal and Federer generally remain clear leaders ahead of Djokovic and Murray, who in turn were regarded as ahead of the rest of the tour. It is surely a difficult task to get the better of any of them. 1 in the ATP rankings. Hewitt has a fine record against them, although it is perhaps a little loaded since he was at the top when Federer and Nadal were just starting out. The former World No. Djokovic's 2016 Australian Open victory was especially impressive, as he came back from a two-set . Each player has occupied the top position at the end of the year at least five times, with Djokovic holding the ATP record with seven. [124] Djokovic and Nadal, meanwhile, made the semifinals, where twetlfth-seeded Djokovic defeated world No. Djokovic won the title and his 20th major against Matteo Berrettini, thereby equaling both Federer and Nadal's all-time tally. He said, My goal is to give everything I have to be the best I can. At the US Open, Djokovic retired against Stan Wawrinka in the fourth round due to a shoulder injury, and Federer was upset by Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals. Players to beat Federer on grass, Nadal on clay and Djokovic on hard: August 5 2012: Andy Murray wins his first big title at London Olympic Games beating Roger Federer in the final in Wimbledon 6-2 6-1 6-4 . Djokovic then won his eighth Australian Open title and his 17th major overall by a narrow victory over Thiem in the final.[128]. 2005 was Nadal's breakthrough year, in which he won 24 consecutive matches on clay, including his first French Open title, beating Federer in the semifinals,[22] and he finished the year as the world No. Federer entered the 2004 Summer Olympics as the heavy favourite, but lost in the second round to Tom Berdych. As the 2017 clay court swing commenced, Federer skipped the entire clay season to rest and focus on the grass and hard-court seasons, as well as to prolong his career. At the Olympics, Federer lost in the quarterfinals to James Blake, while Djokovic lost in the semifinals to Nadal, but went on to win the bronze medal. The 24-year-old has dwarfed Novak Djokovic thrice on hardcourt -- twice in the Year-end Championships and once in the Olympics. He was a serious player who gave Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic a run for their money. Thats how good he is, and hopefully well see it again. 1 ranking with Nadal overtaking him by 100 points. Nevertheless, there are still a handful of players who have defeated the Big 3 on their surface of choice. At the Paris Masters, Djokovic defeated Medvedev in the final to win his sixth Paris Masters title and surpass Nadal for the most Masters titles at 37. But he lost all the other nine matches against the Spaniard. Lleyton Hewitt has a solid record against the Fab 3. 4. [citation needed]. In a recent press conference, Djokovic shared his thoughts on the next generation of tennis players and his own legacy in the sport. It's my opinion. Creator: Mark Metcalfe | Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2022 Getty Images, Dominic Thiem (14 wins against the Fab 3). The four of us? However, he still has a solid record against the fab 3, mainly against Novak Djokovic. However, Medvedev played calm, patient tennis to become the 3. Not . 1 for 18 years or was in the top 2 for nearly 16 years. He established an 81-match winning streak on clay during this time. It will be safe to say that Dominic Thiem is the closest tennis player who comes to the Fab 3. 1 after winning the Australian Open in 2004. Berdych was a Wimbledon finalist and world number four at his peak, so he always had the respect of the tour, and especially the big three. Defeated Novak Djokovic and Rafael . Nadal was the clear world No. In the previous year he lost the US Open final to he Scotsman. Nadal suffered his worst European clay-court season in a decade, failing to win a single title and appearing in just one final, whereas Djokovic and Murray entered the second Grand Slam event of the year unbeaten on clay. Nadal returned to Wimbledon for the first time in three years; however he incurred an abdominal injury during the tournament. Federer and Djokovic were both defeated at the ATP Finals by Alexander Zverev in the semifinals and final, respectively. After withdrawing from Indian Wells due to injury, Nadal initially struggled upon returning for the clay-court season, losing in the semifinals at Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid. denotes titles were won in different tournaments. The Djokovic-Nadal and Djokovic-Federer rivalries are the only two in the Open Era to reach 50 matches. 4, his lowest ranking since October 2009 and his first time outside the top two of the rankings since March 2011. [58] Nadal did not compete due to a knee injury. At the 2016 French Open, Murray reached his first Paris final to complete his set of Grand Slam singles finals, but Djokovic beat him in the final to become the third Big Four member after Federer and Nadal to complete a Career Grand Slam, and the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time. [37] Federer then defeated Murray in the final to win his fifth consecutive US Open title and his 13th major title overall. The Frenchman has got six wins against Federer and Djokovic, and four against Nadal. [49] Pete Sampras described it as "one of the best achievements in all of sport. Following the win, Nadal returned to world No. The Serb has beaten the Swiss 27 times, with 22 defeats (as of April 2020). 1 truly remarkable", "Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic and clinched No. 1, ending Federer's record 237 consecutive week streak at the top. He also holds a positive winloss record in Grand Slam singles finals, winning three of four (the loss being to Nadal in the final of the 2017 French Open), as opposed to Murray who has won only three from eleven (a 27.27% strike rate). He also beat the Swiss in straight sets in the 2014 Davis Cup Finals, but it wasn't enough to prevent Switzerland from winning the title. Between 2005 Wimbledon and 2007 US Open, he captured eight of ten majors with a record of 672 in those tournaments (his only two losses in that stretch were delivered by Nadal at the French Open). Despite withdrawing from the event due to injury, Nadal ended the year ranked as the world No. 10 Players have beaten Djokovic & Federer but NEVER Nadal Richard Gasquet Tommy Robredo Marat Safin Kevin Anderson Ivo Karlovic Radek Stepanek Ernests Gulbis Tommy Haas Filippo Volandri. Maybe we play less matches today because it's more taxing, but we do play less best of five set tennis than they used to play. 1 ranking back to Federer for one week until Nadal won the title in Rome. Federer is the best player of them all in terms of technique, but Nadal has beaten him so many times because . The German lost to Nadal no fewer than five times, but only after winning the very first encounter between the two that took place in 2004 on an indoor carpet surface in Basel. Djokovic rebounded to win a record 36th Masters title in the Italian Open two weeks later. ", "Wimbledon: Young guns Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov look to progress", "Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer to win Wimbledon title", "Roger Federer beats David Ferrer to claim Cincinnati title", "Rafael Nadal withdraws from 2014 U.S. Open with right wrist injury", "Andy Murray beats Tommy Robredo to win Valencia Open", "Roger Federer out of ATP World Tour final v Novak Djokovic", "Roger Federer finishes the job to clinch Swiss triumph", "Australian Open 2015: What did we learn Down Under? In Wimbledon, Nadal and Federer again met in the semifinals, their first meeting at Wimbledon since the 2008 final. This is a tremendous record against arguably the greatest man to have ever held a racquet. That's a really difficult call. Wawrinka himself has downplayed the suggestion that he be included in an expanded "Big Five", describing Murray as "well ahead" of him. With the victory, Djokovic won his second French Open title and 19th major singles title overall, and became the third man to have won each of the four majors at least twice or more (after Roy Emerson and Rod Laver), and the first to do so in the Open Era. solid comebacks. [51] They all reached the semifinals at two of the year's Grand Slam events, and between them won every Masters tournament. No one denied them more. 1 ranking to Djokovic. The Big Three monopolized the top spot in the ATP singles rankings 897 weeks (equivalent to 17 years). 1 by winning the Australian Open, defeating Murray in the final, but his run of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals came to an end at the French Open when he lost to Robin Sderling in the fourth round. Nadal claimed the Monte-Carlo Masters title, which saw him become the first man to win a single tournament ten times and simultaneously establish a new record for the most clay-court titles at 50, surpassing Guillermo Vilas' 49. Nadal and Djokovic have each achieved a Surface Slam by winning majors on hard, clay, and grass courts in a calendar year, making them the only male players in history to do so. 2 behind Andy Roddick. Look, I'm not trying to be rude towards Nadal but I don't see how he can be considered better than Djokovic when you see what Djokovic did in the fall season and what he did. He won titles in Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna and Paris. 1 and remained there until July 2012, when he was overtaken by Federer, who reclaimed the top spot for the first time in two years. with Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer all . [71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79] This debate intensified after the Australian Open, which saw Stan Wawrinka defeat Djokovic in the quarterfinal and Nadal in the final to win his first Slam title, marking just the second time since 2005 and the first since 2009 that a player outside the Big Four had won a major title. The Italian triumphed just once against Nadal in nine attempts, at the 2008 Rotterdam Open. A victory at the Swiss Indoors in Basel and one at the 2016 Cincinnati Open proved that Borna Coric was not intimidated by the Spaniard. Nadal has an 82.9% career singles record of 1068-220, while Djokovic has an 83.5% career singles record of 1043-206. . He and Federer each won three Masters tournaments. They are the only three men in history to win eight or more singles titles at a single Grand Slam tournament: Nadal with 14 French Open titles, Djokovic with 10 Australian Open titles, and Federer with 8 Wimbledon titles. At the Australian Open, Nadal won his first title there in another five-set final, his third consecutive major final victory over Federer, while Murray and Djokovic were eliminated earlier. When the conditions have been like they have been, you need to focus so hard on almost every shot because the ball is very hard to control.. 2 behind Nadal and overall had his best year since 2007, with his highest number of titles won since that year, winning two majors for the first time since 2009, and ending the year with a winning percentage of 91%, his highest since 2006. 1 player every year from 2004 to 2021, with the exception of 2016. [99] Collectively, the Big Four won 19 titles in 2014, but two Slam titles and two Masters titles went to other players. Said six-time major champion Stefan Edberg of the GOAT debate: "Djokovic, Nadal and Federer are pretty much tied in terms of achievements, but if you add the popularity and fanbase, Roger might . He won the 2009 US Open against Federer. Meanwhile, Murray continued to rise in the rankings, reaching his first major quarterfinal at Wimbledon, losing to Nadal. Roger Federer According to a statistic recently popping out on Twitter, the only players to beat each of the Big Three, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic 5 or more times. At the ATP Masters tournaments, the trio are also the top-three title leaders; Djokovic leads with a record 38 titles, followed by Nadal with 36, and Federer with 28. By reaching this great milestone, the GOAT debate has ignited . [39] Nadal continued to dominate in most of the early season. Tennishead.net is owned by Advantage Publishing (UK) Ltd. Company No: 05734573, Keep up to date with the breaking news & tennis action at our, Check out the latest tennis equipment with our, Read in depth features with stunning photography in, Check out our guide on how to watch tennis on TV, EXCLUSIVE 5% DISCOUNT for all tennishead readers on tennis rackets, balls, clothing, shoes & accessories with All Things Tennis. In February 2000 Marc Rosset defeated 18 year old Roger in the . [92] However, Djokovic defeated Dimitrov and Federer beat Raonic to make it an all-Big Four final, the 24th they had contested. To put matters into perspective, 13 of the Spaniard's 21 Slams have come on clay, 12 of the Serb's 20 have come on hard and eight of the Swiss' 20 have come on grass. They have been the most successful mens singles players for the last two decades. Nalbandian became the first player to defeat Nadal, Djokovic and Federer in the same tournament, doing so to win his first Masters 1000 title. The 35-year-old tennis player has recently broken Steff Graf's all-time record for spending the most number of weeks as world number one. All four have reached a career-high ranking of world No. British tennis player Andy Murray, Daniil Medvedev, Stan Wawrinka. At Wimbledon, the quartet formed the top four seeds at a major for the first time since 2014. Had he been playing in another era, he may well have dominated tennis for a while. Thats my first one, so Im really happy. Novak Djokovic also has a winning record against Federer and may well have claims to be hailed as the greatest if he ends his career with the most Grand Slams, yet the Swiss maestro holds a collection of records that few will match. Federer's presence at Laver Cup 2023 is particularly noteworthy, given his longstanding relationship with the event as a co-founder but also a player. The Big Three is a common nickname in tennis for the trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, each considered to be among the greatest players of all time. 1 after the Big Three reached it,[173] though he had by that time spent 76 weeks as No. Federer then captured three of the four majors in 2004, losing only at the French Open, as well as becoming the world No. During the 2010 season, the Big Four began to dominate the tour as a group for the first time. Djokovic . View rivalry results and stats for matches on the ATP Tour. Stan said, Its just my career. . Djokovic entered the season as the world No. 1 seed Federer upset by Spanish teenager", "2005: Rafael Nadal Wins Roland Garros, Begins New Era in Clay Court Tennis", "The friendship and rivalry of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic", "Djokovic upsets Federer in straight sets", "BBC SPORT Tennis Brutal Nadal sweeps aside Murray", "Wimbledon 2008: John McEnroe hails Rafael Nadal victory as greatest final ever", "Murray trumps Nadal to reach US Open final", "Rusedski on the 'big four' of men's tennis", "Nadal wins battle for place in history by edging past Federer in Melbourne", "Rafael Nadal's Wimbledon withdrawal leaves door open for Andy Murray", "Roger Federer wins at Roland Garros to enter pantheon of grand slam greats", https://www.cbc.ca/sports/federer-wins-record-15th-grand-slam-1.789887, "Andy Murray beats Juan Martin Del Potro to win Rogers Cup", "Roger Federer enters sixth consecutive US Open final defeating Novak Djokovic", "Juan Martn del Potro crushes Rafael Nadal to meet Roger Federer in final", "Rafael Nadal: Why This Clay Court Season Might Not Be As Easy As the Last One", "The 10 Greatest Men's Seasons: No. The first Masters to be held after the resumption of the tour was the Cincinnati Masters, where Djokovic emerged victorious to complete the double Career Golden Masters. Federer's run marked a record-breaking eleventh Wimbledon final and eighth title. He extended the all-time record for the most men's singles titles and became the third man after Mats Wilander (1982 French Open) and Federer (2017 Australian Open) to defeat four Top-10 players en route to a major title. We have to consider that a player like Stan Wawrinka, who won three Slams, has won only 12 matches against the Big Three (three against Federer, three against Nadal and six against Djokovic). Mar 1, 2023. [122] At the Montreal Masters, Federer reached the final but sustained a severe back injury there, which took him out of contention for the US Open and the No. At the end of 2009, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray finished as the ATP's top four players for the second consecutive year, with only Nadal and Federer changing positions from 2008. I'm not making something up. For Nadal, it was his lowest end-of-year ranking since 2004, while Federer's fall in the rankings meant that November 2016 marked his first time outside the top ten since October 2002. He showed promise by reaching the semifinals of Rome, losing to Nadal in two tight sets. Nevertheless, he trails their head-to-head 4-2. 12 and 16 respectively. At 2018 Wimbledon, Federer lost to Kevin Anderson in the quarterfinals despite holding a two-sets-to-love lead and holding a match point in the third set, having suffered a hand injury at the start of the grass season. The Big Three have been competing to win the most Grand Slam men's singles titles of all time. Nadal was a happy camper at Roland Garros 2014. The former World No. Federer ended Nadal's Open Era record 81-match winning streak on clay at the 2007 Hamburg Masters, while Nadal ended Federer's Open Era record 65-match winning streak on grass and five-year dominance at Wimbledon in the 2008 final, and twice denied Federer the non-calendar year Grand Slam at the 2006 and 2007 French Opens. Common tennis term for Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal trio, "Big Four (tennis)" redirects here. Nadal finally got one back by defeating Hrbaty at the 2005 Barcelona Open. Next to them is Pete Sampras, who has won a total of 14 grand slams, mind the gap. Querrey has a top FIVE win, but Nadal beat a much better grass-court player. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were born a week apart, played each other as juniors,[23] and both made their major debuts in 2005. Nadal then defeated Medvedev 64 in the fifth set, claiming his fourth US Open title and 19th major title overall, one behind Federer's record. Federer was the first to come to prominence after winning Wimbledon in 2003, and became the world No. Seven current or former world number ones have winning records over members of the Big 4: Pat Rafter, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Gustavo Kurten, Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic . While many have prevailed against one of the three great legends of the game, only a small number have managed to beat two of them.