3 players who have beaten Roger Federer on grass, Rafael Nadal on clay and Novak Djokovic on hardcourt
The GOAT debate has increasingly become centered around Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, as the trio have made themselves a part of tennis history with their continued dominance. What is particularly impressive about the Big 3 era is how each player has stamped their authority over one specific surface.
While Djokovic remains the man to beat on hardcourt, Nadal and Federer have shown that they can hold their own against anyone on clay and grass respectively. To put matters into perspective, 14 of the Spaniard's 22 Slams have come on clay, 13 of the Serb's 22 have come on hard and eight of the Swiss' 20 have come on grass.
Nevertheless, there are still a handful of players who have defeated the Big 3 on their surface of choice. Here's a look at who they are:
#1 Andy Murray
Andy Murray has scored two victories over Rafael Nadal on clay, both of which came at the Madrid Masters. The Brit defeated the Spaniard in straight sets in the final of the 2015 edition and the semifinals of the 2016 edition.
The former World No. 1 has only one victory against Roger Federer on grass, but it came in what was probably the most important match of his career, the final of the 2012 London Olympics.
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 🥇 https://t.co/HzWZEk0wPq
The 34-year-old has defeated Novak Djokovic eight times on hardcourt, the second-most of any player. Five of those wins have come in Masters 1000 tournaments (four finals) and one in a Grand Slam (2012 US Open).
#2 Dominic Thiem
Dominic Thiem has met Roger Federer only once on grass so far -- in the semifinals of the 2016 Stuttgart Open. The Austrian ended up shocking the top seed with a victory in three sets.
Thiem has scored four victories over Rafael Nadal on clay, the second-most by any player. Three of those have surprisingly come in straight sets -- the 2017 Rome Masters, the 2018 Madrid Masters and the 2019 Barcelona Open. In 2016, the World No. 51 bested the Mallorcan at the Argentina Open.
2017: Thiem defeats Nadal in Rome
2018: Thiem defeats Nadal in Madrid
2019: Thiem defeats Nadal in Barcelona
2020: Let’s hope Rafa doesn’t face Domi in MC
The former US Open champion also has two victories against Djokovic on hardcourt, both of them coming in three-setters at the ATP Finals. In 2019, the former World No. 3 defeated the Serb in the group stage, while he prevailed over the World No. 1 in the semifinals of the 2020 edition.
#3 Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev's sole victory over Rafael Nadal on clay came in the 2021 Madrid Masters, when he upset the 21-time Grand Slam champion in the quarterfinals. After defeating the top seed, the German went on to win the tournament to notch up his fourth Masters 1000 title.
The World No. 3 has also won one match against Roger Federer on grass, at the 2016 Halle Open. The unseeded Zverev defeated the Swiss, who was the three-time defending champion, in the semifinals.
The 24-year-old has dwarfed Novak Djokovic thrice on hardcourt -- twice in the Year-end Championships and once in the Olympics. In both the 2018 and 2021 ATP Finals, Zverev defeated the Serb and went on to win the tournament. He also beat Djokovic at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to deny the Serb a shot at the gold medal.