Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic dominated tennis for a generation, breaking many of the sport’s longest-standing records.
The so-called ‘Big three’ won 66 Grand Slam titles between them, holding the ATP number one ranking for a combined 947 weeks.
For almost 20 years, players tried their very best to topple Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic but were unsuccessful in doing so, as they stood firm at the top of men’s tennis.
With Federer and Nadal now retired from tennis, a new generation of stars have found success in 2025, with the likes of Jakub Mensik and Jack Draper winning their first Masters 1000 titles this year.
However, during the ‘big three’s’ prime years, there was another player who Jannik Sinner’s former coach now reveals had the potential to ‘destroy’ them all.
Riccardo Piatti says Milos Raonic had the potential to ‘destroy’ the big three
Appearing as a guest on the Tennis Channel, Riccardo Piatti looked back on his time coaching Canadian star Milos Raonic.
“Milos [Raonic] I like a lot,” said Piatti.
“When I saw him, and I was coaching Richard Gasquet, when he arrived and started to win, I said this guy could beat the good ones.
“The good ones during this time were Roger [Federer], Rafael [Nadal], and Novak [Djokovic]. He has completely different games to them, but he can potentially destroy them with his serve and forehand.”
Piatti then revealed the goal he set himself when coaching Raonic and explained why the 34-year-old never quite maximised his potential.
“Milos is very smart. I thought this guy, if I ever have the opportunity to coach him, the goal, of course, for me was to be number one,” said Piatti.
“I was unlucky because he became number three in the world, we were working together for a period, but he was always injured.
“It’s difficult to work for two or three years in the same way, to be consistent.”
Raonic reached a career-high ranking of number three in the world alongside Piatti in 2016, in part thanks to his run to the Wimbledon final.
- 2016 Wimbledon F – Milos Raonic lost to Andy Murray, 4-6, 6-7, 6-7
- 2016 Wimbledon SF – Milos Raonic beat Roger Federer, 6-3, 6-7, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
- 2016 Wimbledon QF – Milos Raonic beat Sam Querrey, 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
- 2016 Wimbledon 4R – Milos Raonic beat David Goffin, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
- 2016 Wimbledon 3R – Milos Raonic beat Jack Sock, 7-6, 6-4, 7-6
- 2016 Wimbledon 2R – Milos Raonic beat Andreas Seppi, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2
- 2016 Wimbledon 1R – Milos Raonic beat Pablo Carreno Busta, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4
The Canadian came up short against Andy Murray in the final, but produced a stunning upset in the last four, beating Federer in five sets.
Raonic never returned to a Grand Slam final, struggling for form after splitting with Piatti at the end of the 2016 season.
Injuries continued to plague Raonic’s career, as he began a gradual decline down the rankings, never quite fulfilling the potential Piatti saw in him.
Does Milos Raonic still compete on the ATP Tour?
Raonic hasn’t been seen on court since losing in the first round of the Olympic Games last year.
The 34-year-old played a shortened schedule in 2024, focusing on his favored grass court events.
| Match | Opponent | Result | Score |
| Olympics – 1R | Dominik Koepfer | Loss | 7-6, 6-7, 6-7 |
| Queens – 2R | Taylor Fritz | Loss | 6-7, 4-6 |
| Queens – 1R | Cameron Norrie | Win | 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 |
| ‘s-Hertogenbosch – QF | Alex de Minaur | Loss | 5-7, 2-6 |
| ‘s-Hertogenbosch – 2R | Roberto Bautista Agut | Win | 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 |
| ‘s-Hertogenbosch – 1R | Jordan Thompson | Win | 6-3, 6-4 |
| Indian Wells – 2R | Holger Rune | Walkover | – |
| Indian Wells – 1R | Sumit Nagal | Win | 6-3, 6-3 |
| Rotterdam Open – QF | Jannik Sinner | Loss | 6-7, 1-1 (RET) |
| Rotterdam Open – 2R | Alexander Bublik | Win | 6-4, 6-4 |
| Rotterdam Open – 1R | Jesper De Jong | Win | 7-6, 6-4 |
| Australian Open – 1R | Alex de Minaur | Loss | 7-6, 3-6, 0-6 (RET) |
Raonic is now ranked 449th on the ATP Tour and will fall out of the rankings if he doesn’t return to action during the grass season.
Fans of the Canadian were given a boost recently, however, as Raonic shared an injury update during his appearance on the Changeover podcast.
“I went to the Olympics, got hurt, wasn’t able to play in Montreal last year, was having a shoulder issue,” he said.
“Shortly after I broke my toe, I ended up kind of getting into it towards the end of the year, kind of seeing how I was feeling. Once I started moving laterally, I realized the toe wasn’t healed, so I had to almost re-break it so it could heal properly.
“Wasn’t ready in time for Indian Wells and Miami, which I was hoping to be ready for, now I’m hoping that I can get on track, get training and go in for the grass season.”
Perhaps Raonic will return at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where he reached the quarterfinals in 2024.
The Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch is scheduled to begin on June 9th.
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