Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal dominated tennis alongside Novak Djokovic for almost 20 years.
The Swiss and Spanish stars won a combined 42 Grand Slam titles, showing their class against the rest of the ATP Tour.
However, after years of excellence, both players have now ended their careers, with Nadal joining Federer in retirement at the end of the 2024 season.
One player who competed against both Federer and Nadal during his best years has now shared his thoughts on how the sport has changed recently.
The former Wimbledon finalist suggested that if he were in his ‘prime’ today, he’d have an easier time of things.
Nick Kyrgios thinks Grand Slams are ‘more open’ in 2025 than they were ten years ago
Appearing as a guest on the Changeover podcast, Aussie star Nick Kyrgios explained how tennis has changed over recent years.
“I think when I was in my prime, when I played Grand Slams, I would make the third or fourth round, and I knew that was probably as far as I was going to go,” he said.
“You had the big three, prime [Andy] Murray, prime [Stan] Wawrinka, prime [Juan Martin] Del Potro, prime [Marin] Cilic, all the big servers, prime [John] Isner, [Tomas] Berdych, [Gael] Monfils.
“I was looking at the draw and then me, and I was like, I am probably not going to advance.
“I think now the Slams are more open because what are the chances that someone like me or [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga was going to beat Rafa [Nadal] and then the next day he had to play Novak [Djokovic] and then the next [Roger] Federer.
“The chances of beating those guys multiple times in a Slam was basically zero, whereas I think now if [Jannik] Sinner or [Carlos] Alcaraz or one of those guys has one bad day, that section is wide open for everyone.”
Kyrgios then predicted how he would’ve performed if he were in his ‘prime’ playing the stars of today.
“I would love to have played during this era in my prime, for sure,” he said.
“I think I would have made the fourth round or quarters pretty easily, to be honest.
“But I enjoyed playing in that era. When you saw Federer, Novak, or Nadal in your quarter, it was like how do you want to go home basically.
“That’s how good they were.
“They were three of the greatest of all time; they were competing against each other and did not even look at anyone else.”
How did Nick Kyrgios perform against Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at Grand Slams?
Kyrgios mentioned how difficult it was to compete at Major tournaments alongside the big three, but did he ever beat Djokovic, Nadal, or Federer at a Grand Slam?
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2022 Wimbledon – F | Novak Djokovic | Nick Kyrgios | 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2020 Australian Open – 4R | Rafael Nadal | Nick Kyrgios | 6-3, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 |
| 2019 Wimbledon – 2R | Rafael Nadal | Nick Kyrgios | 6-3, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 |
| 2018 US Open – 3R | Roger Federer | Nick Kyrgios | 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 |
| 20114 Wimbledon – 4R | Nick Kyrgios | Rafael Nadal | 7-6, 5-7, 7-6, 6-3 |
In his first match against a member of the big three, Kyrgios stunned Nadal in the fourth round of Wimbledon 11 years ago.
Centre Court erupted as the 18-year-old produced one of the biggest upsets in tournament history on his way to the quarterfinals.
He hasn’t been able to repeat the feat since, however, losing his next four Grand Slam matches against the trio.
Perhaps the most memorable of which was his maiden Major final defeat in 2022, where Djokovic beat Kyrgios in four sets.
With Nadal and Federer now retired, Kyrgios will only be able to improve his record should he face off against the Serb again.
Kyrgios is only scheduled to play doubles at the French Open later this month, but could very well be drawn against Djokovic at Wimbledon later in the summer.
The 2025 Wimbledon tournament will begin on Monday, 30 June.
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