The Rise of the Big Three

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will once again take center stage at the Stade Roland Garros today, where they‘ll take the court for their third-round matches at the second Grand Slam tournament of the year. Paris has traditionally been Nadal’s home turf, but after losing his crown to Novak Djokovic last year, Nadal faces a grueling road to the final at this year’s French Open.

The 35-year-old Spaniard, who has been struggling with a foot injury in recent weeks, was drawn in the same quarter as his archrival Novak Djokovic, meaning that he’d face the Serb in the quarter-final if both players progressed that far. The winner of what looks certain to be another battle of attrition will then potentially face Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final – a prospect that both Nadal and Djokovic would have liked to avoid.

19-year-old Alcaraz has been the rising star on the ATP Tour this year, winning four titles already, including two Masters 1000 events and two clay-court tournaments in the lead-up to Roland Garros. At the Madrid Open, he left a trail of tennis greats in his wake, beating Nadal, Djokovic and Alexander Zverev on his way to the title. The teenage sensation will now be hoping to win his first Grand Slam title, a feat that has eluded most of his fellow next-generation players.

Over the past two decades, Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have dominated tennis’ biggest occasions, winning 21, 20 and 20 titles, respectively. Ever since Roger Federer triumphed at Wimbledon in 2003, the “Big Three” have won 61 of the 74 Grand Slam tournaments played. Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray are the only other players to win multiple Grand Slams during the reign of male tennis’ triumvirate, each winning three majors between 2012 and 2016.