In recent years, many tennis fans have been waiting for a new ‘big three’ to emerge following a golden generation dominated by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Almost every Grand Slam from the mid-2000s until the early 2020s was won by either Djokovic, Nadal or Federer, who claimed a combined 66 majors between them.
The new generation, thus far, has been a two-horse race, with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz currently head and shoulders above the rest of the field.
Sinner and Alcaraz split all four Grand Slams between them for the second year in a row in 2025, and look set to do the same next season.
Between the ‘big three’ and ‘new two’ eras, there was a generation headlined by three players that Stefanos Tsitsipas thought would be able to emulate the dominance displayed by Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.
Who Stefanos Tsitsipas thought would be the new ‘big three’ in tennis
In a 2021 interview with Bild, Tsitsipas said: “There is currently only one big player: Novak Djokovic. He’s still the best in the world.
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“But Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and I are right behind him. We can become the next Big Three. I firmly believe in it.”
At the time, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and Tsitsipas made up spots two, three and four behind first-place Djokovic.
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2 | Daniil Medvedev |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev |
| 4 | Stefanos Tsitsipas |
| 5 | Andrey Rublev |
| 6 | Rafael Nadal |
| 7 | Matteo Berrettini |
| 8 | Casper Ruud |
| 9 | Hubert Hurkacz |
| 10 | Jannik Sinner |
Each of the three stars had reached Grand Slam finals, and Medvedev had gone all the way at the 2021 US Open.
While the treble of stars have enjoyed some success on the ATP Tour since then, they certainly did not formulate a new ‘big three’.
Tsitsipas has added titles to his name in recent years, but the Greek player has seen his form dip in 2025 amid injuries.
In Zverev’s case, the German remains a top player, and ended 2025 as the world number three, however he has yet to capture a Grand Slam title that has eluded him for his entire career.
Medvedev has arguably enjoyed the most successful time on the tour since 2021, having claimed world number one status in 2022, before reaching three more Grand Slam finals.
Although, like Tsitsipas, the Russian’s level has decreased significantly in 2025, and now he is ranked outside the top ten.
Why Stefanos Tsitsipas thought his generation found it hard to win a major
When asked in the interview why his generation found it so hard to win a Grand Slam title, Tsitsipas responded: “The level is incredibly high. Any player from the top 10 can win a Grand Slam tournament.
“Tennis has evolved; it has become very physical. It’s extreme in many ways. You have to pay attention to every detail.
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“Dominic Thiem is a good example. He put so much physical and mental energy into winning the US Open.
“I’ve watched every game he played there. It is very exhausting to beat the other good players. It sucks the energy out of your body.
“The key is: You have to win the games with less effort and save energy for the next match. Novak Djokovic has shown this perfectly in recent years. And Daniil Medvedev showed it at the US Open.”
Tsitsipas has reached Grand Slam finals at the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open, but failed to get over the line both times.
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