Janko Tipsarevic believes tennis will enter a "dark period" after the retirement of the Big 3

What's the story?

In a recent interview, former professional tennis player Janko Tipsarevic gave an ominous warning about the likely state of tennis when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic retire. The Serb argued that due to their unprecedented rule over the field, the sport will face a "dark period" when they finally call it a day.

In case you didn't know...

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are arguably the three greatest players in the history of tennis. Despite all of them being in their 30s, they continue to dominate the tour with an iron fist.

Since 2017, no player outside this triumvirate has won a Grand Slam.

The Big 3 have had an unprecedented dominance over tennis

Tipsarevic himself had to frequently face the brunt of the Big 3's brilliance, often losing to them at the Slams when he was active on the tour. He recently played his last professional match at the Davis Cup Finals in Madrid, bringing to an end a distinguished career where he cracked the top 10.

The heart of the matter

Tipsarevic was forthright in his comments about the flip side of the Big 3's dominance, and believes they have raised the bar so high that everything in the future will look disappointing by comparison.

“The problem is that [Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal] have won so much that to speak of a new giant in the same sentence must take 10 Grand Slams. If he takes five, it will be: who is this one? It’s amazing what they’ve done for this sport, but on the other hand, it shows the way to other players that it’s possible," Tipsarevic said.

He then used the example of Federer's following the retirement of Pete Sampras.

“When [Pete] Sampras showed up and won 14 Slams, they thought no one would. Then Federer appeared, followed by Nadal, and then for a long time Novak."

Roger Federer (L) and Pete Sampras

"Until new stars rise on the international scene as a dominant factor, I think tennis is waiting for a dark period," he added.

What's next?

For the last few years, discussions on life after the Big 3 have been dominating the tennis world. With the rise of the NextGen and the increasing age of the Big 3, it seems only a matter of time that the changing of the guard takes place.

However, it remains to be seen if any of the newer players will be able to eclipse the feats of the Big 3.