"Trivalry or rivalry, whatever you want to call it" - When Novak Djokovic recognized the emergence of the 'Big-3' with rivals Federer & Nadal in 2011
Novak Djokovic, along with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, has transcended the sport of tennis to a whole different level over the last two decades.
20 years ago, it seemed impossible for anyone to emulate Pete Sampras' achievement of 14 Grand Slam titles. However, the Big 3 not only surpassed the American great, but reached a minimum of 20 Majors each.
Djokovic has been the most successful player on the tour since 2011, when he made certain changes to his diet and lifestyle. The Serb's dominance started that year as he won 10 titles, including three Grand Slams.
It was the first of the four times that he won the Sunshine Double — the Indian Wells and the Miami Open. Djokovic beat Nadal in the finals of both tournaments.
After the 2011 Miami Open, a journalist asked the Serb to comment on former player Mary Carillo's claim of a potential "trivalry" between the Big 3. He responded by saying that the media could use whichever term they liked.
Although he called Nadal and Federer his "biggest rivals," he also acknowledged the presence of other players like Andy Murray, Robin Soderling and Andy Roddick.
"If you want to call it trivalry or rivalry, whatever you want to call it, I don't know," he said. "I just try to focus on what I do. Of course, Roger and Rafa are the two biggest rivals that I have, and of course, there are many more players out there who are able to play great tennis. We cannot forget about them. Murray, Soderling, Roddick, the Spaniards."
At the end of 2010, Federer and Nadal had 16 and nine Grand Slam titles respectively, whereas Djokovic had only one. Since then, the current World No. 1 has lifted 21 Majors while the Spaniard has won 13 and the Swiss icon (now retired) has won four titles.
Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer denied me the No. 1 ranking: Juan Martin del Potro
Juan Martin del Potro won the 2009 US Open and reached a career-best ranking of No. 3 in 2018. Although proud of his achievements, the Argentine rued that he never reached the top spot in the ATP rankings, highlighting the Big 3's dominance as the primary reason.
"The only thing I lacked was being No. 1,” del Potro said. “It was always a dream and I always worked for it but I was proud of my career and I never made it because there was either Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic."
"One day, the 'big three' will end and we have Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, or Holger Rune, other young people who will mark the circuit. But for me, [for] many years - the 'big three' - there will not be anything similar."
Del Potro hung up his racquet last year after struggling with multiple injuries over the years.