"Are there articles asking for next Messi or Ronaldo?" - Tennis always looking for next Federer, Nadal, Djokovic & Andy Murray bothers Mark Petchey

Tennis fans and journalists' continuous search for the next Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray bothers former professional Mark Petchey.

Petchey, who now works as a tennis commentator, reacted to a Forbes article titled "Djokovic Ready To Graze In Grass As Search For New Big 3 Begins" on social media.

Petchey compared tennis to football and stated that the sport isn't obsessed with finding the next Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, who are considered the two greatest footballers of this generation. He stated that tennis, on the other hand, is always looking for the next Big 4.

"Maybe because I don't follow football enough I don't see them but are there articles always asking for the search for the next Messi or Ronaldo? Tennis is seemingly always either worried about post Big 4 or new Big 4," Petchey wrote on Twitter.

Over the years, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Alexander Zverev have all been hailed as the successors to the Big 4.

The younger players will have their chance at Wimbledon 2023 next, where the defending champion is seven-time winner Novak Djokovic, who hasn't lost at SW19 since 2017.

Interestingly enough, no player outside of the Big 4 (Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, and Murray) has won Wimbledon since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002, when he defeated David Nalbandian in the final, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.

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"Beating Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, probably the highest mountain to climb" - Patrick Mouratoglou

Novak Djokovic after winning Wimbledon 2022

Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams' former coach, believes that beating Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon is the biggest challenge in tennis. In an episode of Netflix's tennis-based docuseries Break Point, Mouratoglou talked about the Wimbledon Championships.

"Beating Novak at Wimbledon is probably the highest mountain to climb for any tennis player," Mouratoglou said on Break Point.

Many tennis fans were outraged at Mouratoglou's comments, considering Rafael Nadal's 14 French Open titles, more than any other tennis player at any Grand Slam. Nadal has only lost three matches in his Roland Garros career.

Djokovic is the record holder at the Australian Open with ten titles, and he can tie Roger Federer's accomplishment if he wins Wimbledon 2023, which would take him to eight titles at the grasscourt Major.