Casper Ruud is an exceptional player, but the Norwegian is still flabbergasted by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic's consistency at the top of the sport for so many years.
Twenty years ago, many thought Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slams would never be matched, but the three players who would eventually become known as the 'Big 3' raised the standard of the sport.
Federer broke the American's record after a memorable five-set triumph against Andy Roddick in the 2009 Wimbledon final. The final score of that classic match was 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14.
Nadal then emerged in 2005 as Federer's main rival. Some of their iconic five-set duels were the 2007 and 2008 Wimbledon finals and the 2009 Australian Open. The Spaniard recently said Federer was his biggest rival.
It seemed like Federer vs Nadal would become the dominant rivalry for a generation, but Novak Djokovic had other ideas. The Serbian rose to the top of the sport and established rivalries with both men.
Djokovic and Federer had several memorable battles, including the former saving two match points on the Swiss player's serve before winning the 2019 Wimbledon final. The 37-year-old recently admitted Federer played better than him despite the final result.
However, Djokovic is open about Nadal being his greatest rival. They played numerous incredible matches, but the one that stands out the most was the five-hour and 53-minute 2012 Australian Open final, which the Serbian won. It remains the longest Grand Slam final ever.
Nadal and Djokovic played for the final time before the Spaniard's retirement at the Six Kings Slam. After defeating the 14-time French Open champion, Djokovic paid tribute to his rival, calling him an incredible person.
In the end, Federer ended with 20 Grand Slams, Nadal will retire next month at the Davis Cup Finals with 22, and Djokovic has the most of the trio with 24 Grand Slams. The Serbian also holds the record for the most weeks at No. 1 in the rankings.
Djokovic is the most statistically successful of the three, but what Nadal and Federer achieved and what Djokovic continues to achieve over such a long period is absolutely incredible.
Ruud is a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, which should not be underestimated. But he struggles to understand how those three great players stayed motivated and retained such a high level for so long.
"I’ve understood how crazy it is from Rafa, Roger, and Novak… that they performed every single year for like 17, 18 years. They’ve been so good. How have they been able to keep the motivation up? How they’ve been able to be strict with themselves… How have they been able to win like 70 matches every year?"
"Year in, year out. I just don’t understand how it’s possible. It’s one thing to do it 3, 4, or 5 years. But for them it’s been almost 20 years of pure domination."
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are the two outstanding players on the ATP Tour right now, but they have a long road ahead of them to match the achievements and longevity of Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer.