Watch: Big 3's Grand Slam Championship Points

defeated Novak Djokovic

Be sure to rewind to 2:43:45, when Djokovic had a chance to reset the match to 2 sets all and maybe turn the whole thing around. Alcaraz, at 30-15, hit a forehand wide and got Djokovic and his crowd pumped up. The Spaniard then lost another point (hit into the net), giving the 24-time major champion a rare break point in the match at a critical moment of the fourth set at 4 games each. If Djokovic breaks, he would serve to even out with 2 sets apiece, and then they will have to battle it out in a fifth set. Unfortunately, a couple of errors from Djokovic gave away the opportunity. The rest is history. 

A quarter century into the millennium, we tennis fans are in for some very delicious treats. So many superstars coming and going in groups of twos and threes. We can now follow the game in bite-size video clips, thanks to YouTube. And there’s so much more wrapped around being a tennis fan these days, from podcasts to social feeds to all other fluff that new technology has to offer. Cannot imagine how miserable you’d be as a John McEnroe fan in those days. Wait, you cannot be serious! How on earth can you be his fan. He absolutely has no place in the cathedral of elite tennis, with the only exception for his filthy mouth. (Ok, I confess: I hate him, period.)

Back on topic, how lucky we are today that we are still watching the tennis GOAT, after so many years of dominance that he can only make the semis in all four slams (2025). Granted, Novak isn’t as stylistic as Roger, and not as intense on the court like Rafa. The fact that he was determined, and able to carve out space for himself through the early years of two superpowers is extraordinary. He was largely responsible for an era of three superpowers, or to the fans of the other two, to blame for that. (Don’t ask me how I feel.)

On top of his perseverance, he has also been an outlier in not only taking care of his own body and mind to compete, he has been advocating out loud for the hundreds of less fortunate guys (and gals) on tour, a majority of whom cannot make a living out of the sport (a learning for me).

Like everyone else, he has his flaws. He smashed many rackets when he was younger. He was disqualified at the US Open for hitting a line judge’s throat with a loose ball out of frustration. He got deported out of Australia before reaching Melbourne Park due to his non-vaccinated status. In those months, like probably everyone else, I had negative opinion about him not taking a shot, if not for himself but for millions of people who may be watching him as an example in those trying months. Now, I absolutely admire his principles in the decision he made, and the fact that he stuck with it. And he paid the price for it (probably that trophy should have been his). If I were him, meaning if I were someone who goes to great lengths to take care of my body with anything I put in my mouth and blood, I would not take any shot if I don’t absolutely need to. After years of dietary shift (first to gluten-free then to vegetarian), how would I take the chances of putting chemicals in my body that can quite possibly knock me out for days if not weeks before a grand slam? Hell no!

Not sure if he would call himself a perfectionist. I think we could put him in that category. At least in the same league as Steve Jobs, who had a reputation of making a computer’s inner parts and wires as neat and beautifully laid out as those on the exterior.

But I am not piling superlatives about him here. I am impressed by the two very different players I saw out of the two losses of this Australian Open final (to Alcaraz) and the 2021 US Open final (to Medvedev). In Melbourne, he was light-hearted, smiling and joking. He also took advantage of his former arch rival Rafa Nadal sitting in the stands by the baseline, quipping how weird it was to “see you there not here.” A few years ago in New York, though, he was tight, totally off and probably crushed by his own self-pressure. Back then he was trying to complete a calendar year grand slam, which wasn’t done by anyone but more than half a century ago (Rod Laver). The immense pressure visibly got him. He was completely out of the zone, losing in straight sets in less than two hours. And he burst into tears after the devastating loss, sobbing like a child. But it may also have helped him heal from the buildup of crushing pressure for months.

Pressure, indeed, is a privilege. But standing in Djokovic’s shoes, a little too much of it wasn't fun to deal with. A couple of years later, he and Medvedev had a rematch at the US Open final. This time, no pressure. And he won in style.

Now in his twilight years of competitive career, Djokovic has completely loosened up. He jokes on and off the court. During the seemingly disappointing final against Alcaraz, he teased Nadal behind his baseline in between points suggesting that Nadal should be playing with/replacing him a bit. In his post-match speech, he congratulated his young opponent and looked forward to another ten years of rivalry with him.

defeated Novak Djokovic

defeated Daniil Medvedev

defeated Novak Djokovic

defeated Casper Ruud

defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas

defeated Nick Kyrgios

defeated Casper Ruud

defeated Daniil Medvedev

defeated Novak Djokovic

defeated Matteo Berrettini

defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas

defeated Daniil Medvedev

defeated Novak Djokovic

defeated Dominic Thiem

defeated Daniil Medvedev

defeated Roger Federer

One of the most dramatic turning point is 4:11:06, when Roger came so close to finishing off Novak and winning his grand slam title #21 (sorry Federer fans). If Roger served that tennis ball one inch higher and cleared the net, he could have fired an ace as Novak was guess in the wrong direction. Somehow, Novak managed to win the match even though he was an underdog for the majority of the match.

defeated Dominic Thiem

defeated Rafael Nadal

defeated Juan Martin Del Potro

defeated Kevin Anderson

defeated Dominic Thiem

defeated Marin Cilic

defeated Kevin Anderson

defeated Marin Cilic

defeated Stan Wawrinka

defeated Rafael Nadal

defeated Novak Djokovic

defeated Andy Murray

defeated Andy Murray

defeated Roger Federer

defeated Roger Federer

defeated Novak Djokovic

defeated Andy Murray

defeated Roger Federer

defeated Novak Djokovic

defeated Rafael Nadal

defeated Novak Djokovic

defeated Novak Djokovic

defeated David Ferrer

defeated Andy Murray

defeated Novak Djokovic

defeated Andy Murray

defeated Novak Djokovic

defeated Rafael Nadal

[5 hours and 53 min.]

defeated Rafael Nadal

defeated Rafael Nadal

defeated Roger Federer

defeated Andy Murray

defeated Novak Djokovic

defeated Tomas Berdych

defeated Robin Soderling

defeated Andy Murray

defeated Roger Federer

defeated Andy Roddick

defeated Robin Soderling

defeated Roger Federer

defeated Andy Murray

defeated Roger Federer

[5 hours 58 min]

defeated Roger Federer

defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

defeated Novak Djokovic

defeated Rafael Nadal

defeated Roger Federer

defeated Fernando Gonzalez

defeated Andy Roddick

defeated Rafael Nadal

defeated Roger Federer

defeated Marcos Baghdatis

defeated Andre Agassi

defeated Andy Roddick

defeated Mariano Puerta

defeated Lleyton Hewitt

defeated Andy Roddick

defeated Marat Safin

defeated Mark Philippoussis