Federer, Nadal, Djokovic Retirement Will Make Men's Tennis Better: Lapierre

It has been over a decade since the formation of the “Big 3” – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – and they still continue to dominate the game with the younger generation unable to make inroads. The trio has a combined 54 Grand Slam titles between them and their dominance has been such that in the last 14 years only four other players have managed to win a major title, which is a combined 7 titles in 55 tournaments.

Despite their dominance, the Montreal-based Rogers Cup tournament director Eugene Lapierre believes men’s tennis will get better once Federer, Nadal and Djokovic retire from the game. The likes of Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Stephanos Tsitsipas, Nick Kyrgios and Denis Shapovalov are considered among the top talents in the next generation, but they have not been able to match the “Big 3” on a consistent level just yet.

Lapierre is shocked at the level of tennis played by the likes of Federer and Djokovic even after a decade of playing at the highest level. He believes the young players will take over once the trio retire from the game and similar rivalries like the ones shared by Federer and Nadal, Nadal and Djokovic will emerge with the younger generation.

"They have been really unbelievable for more than ten years,” Lapierre told Tennis World USA. “I remember a final here between Djokovic and Federer (in 2010) and Novak beat Roger by saving match points. It looks like they are getting better and better every year. Zverev, Thiem, Tsitsipas, Denis, Felix are still so young and they look at their role models and I am sure they will take notice at what they do.”

“They have a long way to go and it's very exciting to see them play. So I am not too worried about the health of men's game. It's only going to get better and better. Tennis is a nice sport, there will always be rivalries for many, many years,” he added. “It will be very interesting."

While the tennis world still craves for Federer vs Nadal, Nadal vs Djokovic encounters at the highest level, there are many waiting to see which young player can dethrone the three players considered among the greatest to ever play the game.