The Big Three are cyborgs of Tennis – Daniil Medvedev

The Russian Tennis star Daniil Medvedev received a thrashing in the final of the Australian Open 2021 final against the World No. 1 Novak Djokovic as he lost 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. Medvedev was on a 20-match winning streak but it was broken by the Serbian, who was at his best in the final.

Djokovic clinched his ninth Australian Open title, which is his 18th major whereas Medvedev will need to wait a bit longer to lay his hands on a major trophy. Meanwhile, after losing against Djokovic, Medvedev admitted that the Big Three – Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic are at a different level.

The Russian feels that players like Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Alexander Zverev still have a lot of homework to do. The Big Three have won 90% of the slams in the last decade and it is not easy to go past them in the big tournaments.

The trio has the experience and their mental strength helps them savour success. Djokovic was relentless in the final against Medvedev whereas the Russian was struggling to keep his emotions in check.

Medvedev feels he still needs to work on his game and get better to reach the top echelons of the game like the Big Three. The Russian has a solid game and he is expected to get better with more experience.

“When they’re in the zone, and I’m not shy to say it, I feel like they’re just better tennis players, which shows [in] facts and numbers, than the rest of us,” he said. “When we are also in the zone, we can bring [a] big fight [to] them, we can win some matches [and] maybe some big titles. But it’s just that the percentages are on their side. I rank them [as the] toughest opponents of my life. 

“I’m 25 now. To win nine Australian Opens, I need to win [one title] every year until I’m 34. I believe in myself, but I don’t think [I’ll be] able to do it. Same with Rafa, 13 Roland Garros [titles]… We’re talking about some cyborgs of tennis in a good way. They’re just unbelievable.” 

After making it to his second major final, Medvedev has climbed to number three in FedEx ATP Rankings. However, Medvedev understands that it is going to an uphill task to challenge the Big Three.