Tennis Legend Names Players Who Can Dethrone Djokovic, Nadal And Federer

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are still dominating men’s tennis, but Corrado Barazzutti thinks their reign will soon be over.

Undeniably, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have been household names in men’s tennis for quite some time, and like in any other sport, there are athletes destined to replace the sport’s so-called “Big 3.” However, Italian tennis legend Barazzutti thinks it will happen sooner rather than later.

In a recent interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Barazzutti made a bold prediction about Italy’s top tennis players Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner. According to the Italy Davis Cup legend, the pair has a strong chance of winning a Grand Slam title and could possibly dethrone the Big 3.

“I think that Matteo [Berrettini ] and Jannik [Sinner] can win a Grand Slam title in the future,” Barazzutti predicted. “Berrettini has already played a Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open. Sinner reached the quarter final at Roland Garros. In a Grand Slam tournament what matters most is to be competitive for two weeks. Players need to be lucky with the draw.”

“The Big Three [Djokovic, Nadal and Federer] will not be at the top for a long time and our players will take advantage and fight for the big titles,” he added.

In October 2019, Berrettini successfully made it to the top 10 in ATP rankings. For Barazzutti, it was a good start, but he has to stay active and healthy in order to advance to another level.

“Matteo has made a step forward in his career by joining the top 10,” the 67-year-old explained. “It’s important that he could train for the 2021 season without injuries. He needs to play many matches to find a good rhythm and the confidence. I hope that the calendar can help him. He is a relative newcomer and he has still room for improvement.”

Sinner, on the other hand, is arguably the best youngster in the sport. The 19-year-old is set to train with Nadal before heading into the first major of the season, and Barazzutti thinks it will be essential for his career.

“Jannik Sinner will have the opportunity to train with Rafael Nadal in Australia and this experience will make him grow,” he said. “He will have to deal with the pressure. Everyone expects great results soon and will have ups and downs.”

Earlier this year, renowned tennis coach Nicolas Massu also tipped another promising tennis player to dominate the sport in the future. According to Massu, Dominic Thiem may find it “difficult” at first, but he’s positive his pupil can “equally” compete with the Big 3.

"He is very complete,” Massu said of Thiem last year. “He plays well on all surfaces, he has a great serve, forehand, backhand, he moves well. He has the talent to do things much better than you think. It will always be difficult to play against the best in history [Federer, Nadal and Djokovic], but if there is anyone who can compete equally with them it is Dominic Thiem.”