3 stunning facts about the Big 3 of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic

Modified Dec 02, 2019 10:30 GMT

From right to left: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic

#2 Ruthless against first-time Slam finalists

From left to right: Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer

The Big 3 are ruthless against first-time Grand Slam finalists.

While Djokovic emerged victorious in his lone meeting with a first-time Slam finalist (2008 Australian Open - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga), Federer and Nadal are 7/8 each against players appearing in their maiden title matches at a Slam

Federer was perfect in seven finals against first-time Slam finalists before the run came to an with a five-set loss to Juan Martin del Potro in the 2009 US Open final. That result als ended the Swiss maestro' five-year reign in New York.

Also read: 3 milestones awaiting Rafael Nadal in 2020

After going 4/4, Nadal's lone loss against a first-time Slam finalist came at the 2014 Australian Open with a four-set defeat to Wawrinka. Since then Nadal has thwarted the ambitions of three first-time Slam finalists - Kevin Anderson (2017 US Open), Dominic Thiem (2018 French Open) and Daniil Medvedev (2019 US Open).

The Big 3 are a combined 15/17 against first-time Slam finalists.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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