Having won 58 of the last 70 Grand Slams. there have been very few players who have dominated their eras like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Before the Big Three, many believed that Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles would stay for many years.
Fast-forward to today and there are three players who have raced past Sampras’ old record. Federer and Nadal with 20 each while Djokovic has 18 to his name. What Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are still doing is unfathomable in 2021.
While Federer does not have much time on his side at 39, he will fancy his chances at Wimbledon. Then there is Nadal, who will be the heavy favorite heading into the French Open and will be looking to be the first man to reach 21 Grand Slam titles. And then there is Novak Djokovic, the youngest of the Big Three, and with the best chances to end up with the most Grand Slams.
Former World No. 7 Barbara Schett believes Djokovic has the best chance to finish on top.
“I think this battle to see who wins the most majors will come down to Novak and Rafa. Maybe Roger believes he can win Wimbledon one more time, but that will be tough at his age and having been away from the game for so long. I would love to see Roger to win Wimbledon again.”
She continued, “One part of deciding who is the greatest of these three will be, in the end, the Grand Slam titles they win. I guess that is how they will be judged. They have all played at the same time and at the end of the day, the numbers count. I think Djokovic will overtake Nadal and Federer at the end.”
Who will finish with the most Grand Slam titles?
Novak Djokovic of Serbia; Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerland (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
The constant debate over who is the greatest may never come to an end. But as Schett said, the Grand Slam titles count may be one of the factors in deciding who is the greatest of the Big Three.
Novak Djokovic having age on his side does look like the one to end up with the most slams. While it has been over three years since Federer last won a major, Nadal has often been troubled with injuries. However, it does look like the final battle will be between Nadal and Djokovic.
Irrespective of who finishes on top, the ‘Big Three’ have created a legacy that will never be rivalled.
