Young players will be very lucky to one day play without Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer: Fabio Fognini

Fabio Fognini recently opined that playing at the same time as the Big 3 - Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer - comes with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Fognini has played the legendary trio numerous times in his career, going 0-8 against Djokovic, 4-13 versus Nadal and 0-4 versus Federer. Remarkably, 19 of the Italian's combined 25 losses to the three have come at the biggest of events - the Grand Slams, the Olympics or the Masters.

In that context, Fognini claimed that the next generation of players will be much luckier than he and his peers have been - because they wouldn't keep running into the Big 3.

"Young players will be very lucky to one day play without these three - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic - that I have had all the way," Fognini said. "When I reached the second week of a Slam, I was already happy, as if it were a semifinal or a final, because from then on it was your turn to (face) one of them, or Murray, Del Potro or Wawrinka."

Fabio Fognini admitted that playing against Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer has been a privilege, as they are the 'best in history'. At the same time, he lamented how difficult it has been to break through in the big events with them always around.

"The good thing has been to compete against them and play with the best in history," Fognini said. "The bad (side), is that to do something good, incredible things had to happen."

(Quotes have been translated using Google Translate)

"I'm with nobody, I just want to play" - Fabio Fognini on choosing between ATP or the Novak Djokovic-led PTPA

Fabio Fognini

During the interview, Fabio Fognini also gave his take on the issue of player representation. When asked whether he would choose the ATP or the Novak Djokovic-led Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), the 33-year-old replied that he was not interested in either side.

"I'm with nobody," Fognini said. "I just want to do what I like the most, play. I am Fabio and always will be."

Novak Djokovic during a training session at the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday

Fabio Fognini, who won the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters, also revealed that he plans to get vaccinated soon. The Italian had tested positive for COVID-19 last year.

"I am pro-vaccine because I had COVID-19 and my whole family went through it in a very hard time," Fognini said. "Hopefully, this (vaccination) happens quickly because the world is bad, many people are dying and the economy suffers."

The Italian also talked about the difficulties of living in bubbles at tournaments, and expressed hope that some of the restrictions on players would ease in time.

"It seems very hard to me, I don't like it," Fognini said. "On the one hand, we are lucky to play, although we did not win (a lot of) money due to the reduction of prize money because of the absence of fans. In the bubble, we are locked in with many rules. Let's see if the doors open a little more and we, the players, are more alive so as not to complicate our lives."

Seeded No. 15 in Monte Carlo this week, Fabio Fognini could have to contend with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal once again if he aims to defend his title. Both the Serb and the Spaniard are returning to competition for the first time since the Australian Open.