“I’m not going to stand here and just leave the field to them like that. They’ll have to work their asses!”
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Novak Djokovic leaves no doubt in the interveiw at Eurosport shortly after his ninth entry into the final of the Australian Open who is still wearing his trousers in world tennis.
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For years there has been talk of the approaching changing of the guard of the Big Three Roger Federer (20 Grand Slam titles), Rafael Nadal (20) and Novak Djokovic (17) – but so far all potential contenders for the tennis throne have been biting this task teeth out.
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The distance to the so-called NextGen (Next Generation) around Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas may have shrunk in the recent past, but according to Djokovic, a handover of the baton is not yet imminent.
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Djokovic, Federer, Nadal: tremendous dominance
“There’s a lot of talk about the new generation that is supposed to take over from us. But realistically, that hasn’t happened yet. With all due respect to the other guys, they still have a lot of work to do,” notes the number one in the world.
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Djokovic announcement to Zverev & Co .: “Have to work your ass”
If you look at the course of the Australian Open in 2021, you have to agree with the Serb. With one exception (Dominic Thiem, US Open 2020), the winners of the last 15 Grand Slam tournaments were always Djokovic, Federer or Nadal. Only ten out of 63 majors since 2005 let the Big Three slip by:
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| year | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open |
| 2005 | Marat Safin | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer | Roger Federer |
| 2006 | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer | Roger Federer |
| 2007 | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer | Roger Federer |
| 2008 | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer |
| 2009 | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer | Roger Federer | Juan Martin del Potro |
| 2010 | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | Rafael Nadal | Rafael Nadal |
| 2011 | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | Novak Djokovic |
| 2012 | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer | Andy Murray |
| 2013 | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | Andy Murray | Rafael Nadal |
| 2014 | Stan Wawrinka | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | Marin Cilic |
| 2015 | Novak Djokovic | Stan Wawrinka | Novak Djokovic | Novak Djokovic |
| 2016 | Novak Djokovic | Novak Djokovic | Andy Murray | Stan Wawrinka |
| 2017 | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal |
| 2018 | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | Novak Djokovic |
| 2019 | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal |
| 2020 | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | — | Dominic Thiem |
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Djokovic has already reached the final Down Under nine times, and eight times he has held the trophy in his hand. If he reaches for his ninth title in the Rod Laver Arena on Sunday (live on Eurosport1 and on Eurosport on Joyn), he can immediately follow up on his brisk announcement.
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Because with Stefanos Tsitsipas or Daniil Medvedev he will face a player of the same new generation and have the chance to win the first major title. Medvedev already had this at the US Open 2019, but then lost to the Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the New York final. For Tsitsipas it would be the first Grand Slam final of his career – so far, his triumph at the ATP Finals last year is considered the greatest success of his career.
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Djokovic: The time to abdicate has not yet come
No matter who will compete with the Djoker in the end; they will know that one of the toughest tasks in tennis is beating the 33-year-old at his favorite tournament.
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In the quarter-finals, Zverev had to have this bitter experience. Djokovic showed throughout the match how strong he is, especially in the mental area. Whenever it became important, the Serb could rely on his serve and the subsequent decisions. Or to put it another way: The 33-year-old called off his best tennis under pressure. A skill that ultimately decides on the title or second place. “Pressure is always there, it is part of our job, but also a privilege,” describes the Serb. “It shows that you are still doing something that is important and valuable.”
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Match ball Becker: That’s why Djokovic played the perfect match
Dealing with this pressure on a permanent basis is the great challenge for the many challengers who have tried so far to overthrow the grandees from the throne. Djokovic also knows that the time to abdicate will come one day: “The boys are really strong, they play tennis at a high level, without a doubt. One day these players will definitely be the leaders, the future of tennis.”
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Yet – and Djokovic’s announcement clearly reminded us of that – that day has not come. Why also? After all, it’s also about who will be able to call themselves the record Grand Slam champion at the end of their career, probably for a very long period of time. While the clock is running out slowly for Federer (39 years old, 20 titles), Nadal (34 years old, 20 titles) and Djokovic (33 years old, 17 titles) are rightly expecting a few good years to be among the world’s best.
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