Sam Querrey posted a dismal record against members of the ‘Big Three’ during his time on the tour.
But the extensive time that he spent on the court against them gives him the credibility to weigh in on the debate surrounding the emphatic trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
It is a rivalry that has had a stranglehold on men’s professional tennis over the past two decades.
And you would not bet against it continuing to make the headlines when all three have hung up their rackets.
Steve Johnson compared the playing styles of Djokovic and Federer last week, but now it is time for another former American number one to offer his verdict.
Sam Querrey admits he didn’t want to beat Roger Federer
Sam Querrey made the quarter-finals of Wimbledon on three separate occasions between 2016 and 2019, soaring to a career-high of number 11.
And despite winning 10 ATP titles throughout his career, he struggled against members of the Big Three, registering a negative record against all of them.
Now, after Querrey admitted to crying when watching Djokovic win the Olympics, he has compared the Serb to his two great rivals Nadal and Federer.
“For me, playing Roger was always the hardest,” Querrey said on the ‘Nothing Major’ podcast. “There was always this aura around him.
“You know when you played him that the crowd was going to be all for him. If you played Novak, yeah he would be locked in and could beat you down, but you knew you were going to have some crowd support.
“With Rafa, at least for me, I knew I was going to get into it. But Roger was just different when you played him.
“You almost didn’t want to beat him because you felt as if people would be mad at you if you beat him.”
Will Novak Djokovic win a 25th grand slam?
Djokovic made history at the Olympics this summer as he added the missing piece to the puzzle that is his illustrious career.
The 37-year-old is still at the top of the game – and the top of the men’s grand slam count – yet appears to have completed everything in tennis.
But Djokovic seems always capable of adding fuel to the fire and, whilst he is still level with Margaret Court on 24 majors, the Serb will not rest easy.
Djokovic opted to skip the Cincinnati Open this week in a bid to focus his attention on the upcoming US Open, making his intentions rather apparent.
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