Novak Djokovic reflects on being the last survivor of the Big 3 after Nadal and Federer’s retirement

For years, the world of tennis was defined by three legendary players: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Now, only the latter remains active from that era, and he recently shared his thoughts ahead of the start of the Madrid Masters 1000.

“I guess it takes a little bit of time for people to accept the fact that Roger and Rafa are not playing, and Murray, and I guess one day myself,” Djokovic said during a press conference in Spain on Thursday, as shared by the official ATP Tour website.

“That’s also one of the reasons why I keep on playing,” he explained, referring to his role in helping the sport maintain its popularity despite the departure of some of its biggest stars. “I feel like it also helps tennis still thrive on the attention and crowd coming in, watching tournaments and getting interested.”

Still, Djokovic expressed optimism about the excitement around the new generation of players. “If you see the numbers actually of the attendance in the Grand Slams, and some (other tournaments), (there has been) record-breaking crowds in the last few years,” he said. “It’s good news that it shouldn’t be dependent on the big stars or legends of the game that retired.”

Novak Djokovic will make his debut in the Madrid Open on Saturday against Matteo Arnaldi

Djokovic confident in the future of tennis

In the same press conference, Novak Djokovic acknowledged that the ATP Tour has changed in recent years with the emergence of new players. “You can feel there’s a shift,” said the World No. 5. “Not only in terms of the generations of players, the main focus and attention… I’m still trying to stay there and represent the older guys, the older generation.”

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Novak Djokovic makes something clear about his motivation after Nadal and Federer’s retirement

However, the Serbian star emphasized that such a transition is natural and that tennis will continue to thrive. “The sport should outlive everyone, the sport will outlive everyone, and the sport is more important than anybody individually,” Novak stressed. “So we are all here in the service of a sport as well.”

Djokovic praises Carlos Alcaraz

One of the biggest stories this week in tennis was Carlos Alcaraz’s announcement that he will miss the Madrid Masters 1000 due to physical issues. That development is certainly a positive one for Djokovic, who loses one of his top challengers for the title.

However, when asked about the young Spaniard, Novak had nothing but praise. “I’m sure that we’ll see a lot of him on the big stage with trophies in the future in 10 years, 15 years, as long as he’s playing,” Djokovic said. “We have to remember that his age and what he has done for his age is also not normal.”