Boris Becker issues stern reminder to Casper Ruud over his disbelief at Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic's 'domination' for nearly 20 years
Casper Ruud recently expressed his disbelief over Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic's remarkable longevity in the sport for nearly two decades. Boris Becker, however, was baffled by the Norwegian's surprise at the Big 3's dominance.
Ruud is currently gearing up for his campaign at the 2024 Paris Masters, set to take on Jordan Thompson in his opening match at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Meanwhile, defending champion Djokovic has pulled out of the tournament, creating uncertainty around the Serb's qualification chances for the ATP Finals.
During a recent appearance on the Nothing Major podcast, Casper Ruud expressed his amazement at how Federer, Nadal and Djokovic had managed to sustain their motivation and success for nearly two decades.
The Norwegian was also astonished by the Big 3's "almost 20 years of pure domination," marveling at the exceptional discipline and consistency showcased by the legendary trio.
"I’ve understood how crazy it is from Rafa, Roger, and Novak… that they performed every single year for like 17, 18 years. They’ve been so good. How have they been able to keep the motivation up?," Ruud said.
"How they’ve been able to be strict with themselves… How have they been able to win like 70 matches every year? Year in, year out. I just don’t understand how it’s possible. It’s one thing to do it 3, 4, or 5 years. But for them it’s been almost 20 years of pure domination," he added.
However, Boris Becker was taken aback by Casper Ruud's incredulity over the Big 3's sustained dominance, reminding the Norwegian that he was talking about the "3 GOATS" of tennis.
"Casper, You’re talking about the 3 Goats 🐐 of tennis 🎾!," Becker posted on X.
Casper Ruud puts the blame on himself, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev for failing to 'eliminate' Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Despite his amazement over Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic's exceptional longevity, Casper Ruud has also expressed his belief that the younger generation of stars were to "blame" for failing to topple the Big 3's reign.
In a recent interview with Eurosport, Ruud pointed out that the likes of Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev were once seen as the players who would "eliminate" Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. However, he conceded that they had fallen short.
"It is clear, we cannot simply wait for things to be served, but these three greats have done very well. We have been in 21 finals and we have only won two, so it is a coincidence that there are no better numbers, but we are to blame for ourselves," Ruud said.
"There was a lot of talk about Zverev, Tsitsipas, and Medvedev when they emerged, that they would be responsible for a change and eliminate the greats, but they were not able to do it at all," he added.
Competing alongside Casper Ruud at the 2024 Paris Masters, Zverev and Medvedev have also received first-round byes at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Meanwhile, Tsitsipas kicked off his campaign with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Roberto Carballes Baena in the Round of 64.