Novak Djokovic is statistically the most successful tennis player ever, and Mats Wilander thinks achieving that after competing against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for so long makes the Serbian very proud.
Djokovic will be the only member of the so-called "Big 3" left at the end of the season. Federer ended his career at the Laver Cup in 2022, and Nadal announced he will retire at the Davis Cup Finals next month.
Nadal's upcoming retirement makes the Six Kings Slam even more important. The exhibition in Saudi Arabia features Djokovic, Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune.
It will likely be the final event that Djokovic and Nadal are both involved in. After receiving a bye, they are scheduled to compete in the semifinals on Thursday. Sinner's match against Medvedev is among the matches being played on Wednesday.
Hopefully, Nadal performs well in what is expected to be the penultimate tournament of his career. It would be a shame if the 14-time French Open champion left the sport looking like a shell of his former self.
Djokovic knows as well as anyone how great Nadal was at his best. The 24-time Grand Slam winner has spoken openly about how his rivalry with the Spaniard impacted him more than any other during his career.
He also had great rivalries against Federer and Andy Murray, and Wilander told Eurosport that Djokovic can be very proud of being part of such an incredible era and coming out of it as the most successful player.
"I think Novak will feel so proud. I mean, sad in a way, but he lived through the storm. Yes, he's younger than both Roger and Rafa, and Andy [Murray] and him, I think, are the same age or pretty close, but he survived it all. He is the winningest male tennis player ever. I think he would just be proud."
Although Djokovic has said part of him left with Federer, Nadal, and Murray, Wilander believes Alcaraz and Sinner are pushing him to continue competing.
"I think Novak has told us all, 'Hey, I want to keep playing because these guys, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik [Sinner] and the rest, they are so good, and are pushing me to be better and better and better. Maybe he's not better than he used to be, but to him, he's putting out his best every single day, and he's able to do that even after having knee surgery."
Wilander thinks that Djokovic influences the physicality of players today but also says Federer and Nadal affected Sinner and Alcaraz.
"I think he sees it more than anyone, the effect that Federer and Nadal have had on Alcaraz and Sinner and the guys behind him."
"I think Novak has felt the effect of the big two, Rafa and Roger, more than any player. That's going to make him feel so good because he was part of that. And the effect of Novak is very clear when it comes to the physicality of all the players today."
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