Casper Ruud recently expressed his disbelief over Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s remarkable longevity in the sport for nearly two decades. Boris Becker, however, was baffled by the Norwegian’s surprise at the Big 3’s dominance.
Ruud is currently gearing up for his campaign at the 2024 Paris Masters, set to take on Jordan Thompson in his opening match at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Meanwhile, defending champion Djokovic has pulled out of the tournament, creating uncertainty around the Serb’s qualification chances for the ATP Finals.
During a recent appearance on the Nothing Major podcast, Casper Ruud expressed his amazement at how Federer, Nadal and Djokovic had managed to sustain their motivation and success for nearly two decades.
The Norwegian was also astonished by the Big 3’s “almost 20 years of pure domination,” marveling at the exceptional discipline and consistency showcased by the legendary trio.
“I’ve understood how crazy it is from Rafa, Roger, and Novak… that they performed every single year for like 17, 18 years. They’ve been so good. How have they been able to keep the motivation up?,” Ruud said.
“How they’ve been able to be strict with themselves… How have they been able to win like 70 matches every year? Year in, year out. I just don’t understand how it’s possible. It’s one thing to do it 3, 4, or 5 years. But for them it’s been almost 20 years of pure domination,” he added.
However, Boris Becker was taken aback by Casper Ruud‘s incredulity over the Big 3’s sustained dominance, reminding the Norwegian that he was talking about the “3 GOATS” of tennis.