"Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic fed off of each other, they realized they were taking tennis to another level" - Patrick McEnroe

John McEnroe's brother Patrick has reflected on how Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic imbibed each other's best qualities. The trio, famed as the Big Three, dominated men's tennis from the mid-2000s to the early 2020s. Federer retired in 2022, and Nadal is about to follow suit soon, leaving Djokovic as the only remaining active member of the iconic collective.

Roger Federer's ascension to tennis' elite came first, with the Swiss establishing himself as the World No. 1 in 2004. Rafael Nadal's rise came shortly after, and the Spaniard went on to mark himself as the most dominant claycourt player of all time. Novak Djokovic rose to prominence in the late 2000s, and the three went on to orchestrate an unparalleled level of men's tennis dominance.

The trio share a staggering 66 Grand Slam titles and 104 ATP Masters 1000 titles between them. They also tasted success at the Olympics. While the Swiss won a gold medal in doubles and the Serb won one in singles earlier this year, the Spaniard clinched Olympic gold in both singles and doubles. Nadal is set to retire soon, with the 2024 Davis Cup Finals slated to mark his final professional tennis outing as a player.

Recently, Patrick McEnroe, the brother of former World No. 1 John McEnroe, featured as a special guest on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast and revealed how kids learning tennis at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York have been inspired by Nadal. He also shared his advice to them so they can emulate the Spaniard.

"I tell them (kids at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy), 'You're probably not going to be able to hit the forehand like Rafa. Okay? But you can learn from his attitude', which was 110% every time he went out on the court, no excuses. Be humble. Respect the game, which is why he never broke rackets and that kind of thing. Respect the opponent," Patrick McEnroe said. (at 9:32).

The 58-year-old went on to talk about how Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic all learned from one another when it came to on-court attitude, humility, and respect. According to McEnroe, this stemmed from their realization that they were defining a never-seen-before era in tennis.

"All those guys, those three guys, the all-timers, I think, were great at that, and I think they fed off of each other because they realized they were taking tennis to another level," Patrick McEnroe added.

Djokovic, Nadal's most prolific rival, took to Instagram after the Spaniard announced his retirement, to laud him, particularly over inspiring countless children around the world.

"You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis...greatest achievement" - Novak Djokovic to Rafael Nadal

Novak Djokovic (L) and Rafael Nadal (R) (Source: Getty)

Soon after Rafael Nadal's retirement confirmation went viral, Novak Djokovic penned an elaborate post for his greatest rival on Instagram. The Serb acknowledged that a single post could not suffice to express his respect and admiration for the Spaniard.

Despite Nadal's towering on-court achievements, Djokovic opined that the Spaniard's greatest feat has been to inspire children around the world to start playing tennis.

"Rafa, one post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport. You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis and I think that’s probably greatest achievement anyone can wish for. Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit is going to be taught for decades. Your legacy will live forever," Djokovic wrote.

The two former World No. 1s faced each other for one last time in singles before the Spaniard's retirement at the recently concluded Six Kings Slam. It was Djokovic who emerged victorious to take third place at the exhibition event. The pair's last competitive outing came in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the eventual gold medalist came out on top in the second round.