Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic accused of causing problems for two players

The ‘Big Three’ of men’s tennis—the trio consisting of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic—are widely considered a generational gift to the sport. There is an alternative view emerging, however, after Mats Wilander suggested their ongoing success in major competitions may prevent certain younger stars from fulfilling their potential.

It’s a two-way street, however, as seven-time major champion Wilander also suggested the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev lack the same killer instinct as their idols. Both Tsitsipas, 23, and Zverev, 25, have featured in Grand Slam finals in recent years but are still waiting on their maiden major titles.

“With Stefanos Tsitsipas and Sascha Zverev, I think once they win their first Grand Slam, I think you look back—at least I did—and I say ‘woah, I won my quarter and semi-finals easily, but I was match point down in the third round against this guy – why? Because I had a bad spell in the match,'” Wilander said on Eurosport.

“That is what you don’t see with Rafa, Novak or Roger. They don’t have bad starts, nearly never. They go ahead, they break serve, they’re up three-love, now they relax, now they win the first set. How many times do you come back against Rafa after winning the first set? It’s nearly impossible. With Stefanos, he said it: ‘I wasn’t there; I was disappointed.’ Rafa would never say that. And Sascha Zverev, I think he was there, but hejust wasn’t playing well.”

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Rumours regarding 40-year-old Federer’s retirement are starting to gather momentum, with both Djokovic, 35, and Nadal, 36 in June, likely to follow in the coming years. The trio boast a combined 61 major medals—Nadal holds the all-time record with 21, while Federer and ‘Nole’ own 20 apiece—and it’s highly probable that figure will grow in the near future.

“But they got the job done and I think they will learn with each experience,” Wilander continued. “Last thing: It’s amazing, we talk about the generation before with Marin Cilic, Juan Martin del Potro, Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori… they did not win Slams – okay one [or two], thanks to Cilic and Del Potro – because of Novak, Roger and Rafa.

“And they [the Big Three] are doing the same thing to this generation, with Stefanos and Sascha. They haven’t got used to winning big tournaments at 25 years old. That’s incredible.”

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