Novak Djokovic felt the impact of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal throughout his career as Mats Wilander told the Serbian he can feel ‘so proud’.
The 37-year-old will be the last of the ‘Big Three’ left when Nadal joins Federer in the retirement club. And Wilander, the former world No 1, thinks he should be pleased with how he rivalled the pair.
“I think Novak will feel so proud,” he told Eurosport. “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. I think he sees it more than anyone, the effect that Federer and Nadal have had on [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] 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.”