"Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are the Big-2" - American author and columnist hails the duo for their contributions to tennis
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic have taken tennis to heights never imagined over the last 20 years.
At a time when the highest number of Grand Slam titles among men was 14 by Pete Sampras, the Big 3 dominated the roster and reached a minimum of 20 Majors each. With the Swiss legend retiring from professional tennis last month, the other two icons are still going strong and fighting for who ends up as the holder of the most Grand Slam trophies.
One of the Spaniard's fan pages recently shared the moment when he became just the fourth man to register 1,000 match wins on the tour behind Jimmy Connors, Federer, and Ivan Lendl. The 36-year-old won his 1,000th match at the 2020 Paris Masters against compatriot Feliciano Lopez.
"Turn back time to 5 November 2020. Nadal joins towering company in Jimmy Connors (1,274), Roger Federer (1,242) and Ivan Lendl (1,068) as the only men in the 1,000-wins club since the Open era began in 1968," a tweet read.
Turn back time to 5 November 2020
"Nadal joins towering company in Jimmy Connors (1,274), Roger Federer (1,242) and Ivan Lendl (1,068) as the only men in the 1,000-wins club since the Open era began in 1968."
#RafaGOAT https://t.co/i3m1NzUKno
Reacting to the post, journalist and author Rochelle Riley commended the 2008 Wimbledon finalists for their professionalism, terming them "the Big 2."
"@RafaelNadal and @rogerfederer are the #BigTwo, who have upheld the grace and professionalism of tennis for so long. Congratulations to them both," Riley tweeted.
@RafaelNadal and @rogerfederer are the #BigTwo, who have upheld the grace and professionalism of tennis for so long. Congratulations to them both! twitter.com/YinNooy/status…
"You don't have to talk about generational change but enjoy both" - Sergi Bruguera on Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal
Speaking to Marca recently, former Spanish player Sergi Bruguera insisted that instead of comparing Carlos Alcaraz to Rafael Nadal, fans should enjoy watching both of them play.
"Alcaraz is number one in the world, he is 19 years old and of course, he is a different player. You have to enjoy both Carlos and Nadal. You don't have to talk about generational change but enjoy both," Sergi Bruguera said.
The 2022 Davis Cup finals are scheduled to be played from November 23-27 in Spain's Malaga. Bruguera, who is also the captain of Spain's Davis Cup team, revealed that at the beginning of the season, the Mallorcan told him that he wouldn't play in this year's event.
51-year-old Bruguera further stated that the 22-time Grand Slam winner helped Spain win the cup multiple times and had the right to choose not to play.
"At the beginning of the year, he already told me not to count on him, that he would not be available for the Davis Cup. He has always been, but this time, he is not. He has the right to choose. He has won many Davis Cups," he added.