“Tsitsipas Hasn’t Won a Slam, I Haven’t Won a Slam”: Djokovic, Nadal & Federer to Blame Says Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov are set to face each other in what promises to be a mouth-watering 3rd round clash at the US Open. Dimitrov has been labelled as the next superstar in tennis for a few years now but the Bulgarian has failed to make a solid impact. Zverev was asked if he was surprised that Dimitrov has not won a Grand Slam and the German was quick to point out that the ‘Big 3’ are the reason most of the players have not won a Grand Slam.
The German mentioned names like Ferrer, Tsitsipas and Berdych who could have won a Grand Slam in their career but the dominance of Big 3 has not allowed that to happen. Zverev mentioned that he was more surprised about the fact that Dimitrov has never played a Grand Slam final.
Alexander Zverev admits it’s not easy to win Grand Slams
Alexander Zverev will face Grigor Dimitrov in the next round of US Open and in the press match conference, the German was asked about Dimitrov’s inability to win Grand Slam even after so many attempts. Zverev was quick to defend the Bulgarian and said it is not easy to win Grand Slams, especially with ‘Big 3’ around. According to Zverev, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have dominated tennis for so long, it has made it very hard for other players to succeed.
“There’s a lot of players who haven’t won a Slam yet. Tsitsipas hasn’t. I haven’t. It comes down to Novak, Roger, & Rafa a bit. A lot of players like Berdych, Ferrer, Nalbandian, Soderling.. they all haven’t won 1. It’s not that easy to win these things. Especially when you have 3 guys that really dominated for 20 years.”
Zverev went on to mention other players who have also been overshadowed by the Big Three’s dominance, including the likes of Milos Raonic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and David Ferrer. He emphasized that while winning a Grand Slam is the ultimate goal, achieving it in the current circumstances is a demanding task.
The Big 3 era and Grand Slams
The dominance of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer has left a significant mark on tennis history. Over the past two decades, they have collectively won a staggering number of Grand Slam titles, leaving little room for others to break through.
Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Daniil Medvedev have been a few players who have broken the ‘Big 3’ barrier to win a Grand Slam but even they failed to win it with as much consistency as Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.
Alexander Zverev will be hoping to attach his name in the history books soon by winning a Grand Slam. The German star has come close on a few occasions but winning the ultimate prize has not been easy. While the era of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer continues to cast a long shadow, Zverev will be determined to carve his own legacy in tennis.