3 players other than Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer who prevented Novak Djokovic from winning a Grand Slam
The dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic in tennis over the last 15 years has been a sight to behold.
From Grand Slams to ATP Masters 1000 titles, the Big 3 came out on top in virtually every tournament they competed in. Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic have won 64 of the last 78 Grand Slam tournaments, with only a few others winning Majors during their era of dominance.
Djokovic recently won his 22nd Grand Slam title at the 2023 Australian Open, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.
The Serb has made life difficult for his opponents for over a decade and has reached 33 Grand Slam finals in his career, winning 22 of those. Six out of his 11 Grand Slam final losses were inflicted by Nadal (five) and Federer (one).
On that note, let us take a look at the three players besides Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer who have prevented Novak Djokovic from winning a Grand Slam.
1. Andy Murray - US Open 2012 and Wimbledon 2013
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic shared a fierce rivalry when both players were at their peak. The two have faced each other in seven Grand Slam finals, with Djokovic winning five of those.
Murray won their second meeting in a Major final, which came at the 2012 US Open, 7-6(10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2.
They squared off the following year in the Wimbledon final as well. Murray beat Benjamin Becker, Lu Yen-hsun, Tommy Robredo, Mikhail Youzhny, Fernando Verdasco, and Jerzy Janowicz en route to the final.
The Brit overcame Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 to win his maiden Wimbledon crown in 2013.
2. Stan Wawrinka - French Open 2015 and US Open 2016
Stan Wawrinka is the only other player apart from Andy Murray to have won multiple Grand Slams during the Nadal-Federer-Djokovic era. The Swiss has often posed a serious threat to the Serb, beating him in both of their Grand Slam final meetings.
The first Major final between the two came at the 2015 French Open, with Wawrinka beating Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. Wawrinka's victory prevented the Serb from winning the Calendar Slam as he won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open that year.
The second Grand Slam final between the two came at the 2016 US Open, with Wawrinka coming back from a set down to beat Djokovic 6–7(1), 6–4, 7–5, 6–3.
3. Daniil Medvedev - US Open 2021
Novak Djokovic produced one of the greatest seasons of all time in 2021, winning the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon.
The Serb reached the US Open final by beating Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. He was up against Daniil Medvedev and was the favorite to win, considering his incredible form.
However, his hopes of attaining the Calendar Slam were shattered by Medvedev, who beat him 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to win his maiden Grand Slam singles title. The Russian put in a solid display at Flushing Meadows to become only the third player other than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to beat Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam final.