Leander Paes explains why Roger Federer, Nadal & Djokovic are true legends of the game
Leander Paes recently spoke with Sportskeeda, and during the interaction he explained why Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have been able to reign over the tennis world for such a long time.
Collectively called 'the Big 3,' Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have won 56 Grand Slam titles in the last 17 years. Roger Federer is 39 years old, but he is still fitter than most on the tour. Rafael Nadal meanwhile has yet to find an equal on clay, whereas Novak Djokovic has established a stranglehold over the No. 1 ranking.
Leander Paes feels that the reason for the Big 3's dominance is that they have constantly reinvented their game, even after suffering severe injuries. The 47-year-old veteran also cited Andre Agassi's career to reinforce his point.
Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have extended their careers beautifully by reinventing themselves: Leander Paes
Leander Paes has had a terrific career himself, studded with 18 Grand Slam championships - 7 in the men's doubles category and 11 in mixed doubles. He also holds the record for the most doubles wins in Davis Cup history.
Paes recently expressed his desire to team up with Swiss legend Roger Federer in a doubles match. Elaborating on the Big 3's dominance, Paes said:
"Roger Federer, Djokovic, Nadal these three have managed to extend their careers so beautifully. They reinvented themselves multiple times over and that too in the field of singles. I have tremendous respect for all these athletes because they have stood the test of time and kept on reinventing themselves."
Leander Paes also spoke about how Andre Agassi made a brilliant comeback after hitting the lowest of the lows. He highlighted how the American played Challenger events to get his game back before winning another Grand Slam title.
Paes then went on to mention that the true legends of the game don't win tournaments by luck; instead, they keep pushing themselves to conquer all the obstacles in their way.
"The real legends of the sport can stand the test of time by reinventing themselves," Paes said. "A lot of people can win a tournament once, a lot of people can get lucky and win a Grand Slam once, but when you have real legends, real achievers like Roger Federer, Djokovic, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Navratilova, Hingis."
Roger Federer was at the top of the game for many years, before an extended injury break in 2016-17 took him out of the top 15. However, Federer managed to make a brilliant comeback and regain the No. 1 ranking at the start of 2018.
In Leander Paes' view, the Swiss' ability to reinvent himself - just like Nadal and Djokovic - is what makes them such elite players.