Novak Djokovic’s effort closes a 22-year-old chapter of Big 3 dominance

Novak Djokovic enjoyed a notable run at Majors in 2025, scoring 20 victories at 38 and reaching four semi-finals! However, the legend lost all the matches against the top-3 rivals, wrapping up his season without a Major final for the first time since 2017.Novak’s defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open semi-final marked the closing of one of tennis’ most remarkable eras. For the first time since 2002, none of the Big 3 – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – managed to reach a Major final in a season.

The greatest players of the Open era started their journey at Wimbledon 2003 when the Swiss Maestro lifted a trophy in his first Major final. Twenty-two years later, they are the proud owners of 66 notable trophies!

The extraordinary run had been alive for over two decades, with the three great rivals pushing each other to the limits and leaving everyone behind. Men’s tennis lived under the shadow of their dominance until 2023, and it’s unlikely that we will witness anything similar in the future.

Novak Djokovic's effort closes a 22-year-old chapter of Big 3 dominance

Year after year, one of the three giants was a fixture in the latter stages of the sport’s greatest stages, the ones that inspired them to compete at their best and chase tennis history.

Between Wimbledon 2003 and the US Open 2023, Roger, Rafa and Novak missed only seven Major finals collectively, maintaining an unmatched standard of excellence for over two decades and “ruining” many careers.Federer left the party in 2019, but Nadal and Djokovic extended the legacy in the upcoming years. The Spaniard faded in 2022 and the Serb stood strong for two more years, especially in 2023 when he claimed three titles from four finals at 36!

Novak Djokovic, US Open 2025
Novak reached another Wimbledon final last year, marking the 21st consecutive season with at least one Major final for Big 3! However, the veteran started to lose ground against much younger rivals in demanding best-of-five scenarios.

As we already said, Djokovic bested 20 rivals at Majors this season, including Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. However, a blend of injuries and the freshness of the young guns halted his plans and kept him away from the title matches.

Thus, the 2025 season brought a turning point, signaling the close of a chapter that defined golden tennis era. While the Big 3 may no longer be reaching Major finals, their legacy of consistency, resilience and brilliance remains woven into the very fabric of tennis history.

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