The era of the Big Three in men’s tennis is now down to just Novak Djokovic, as Rafael Nadal has retired, joining Roger Federer, who stepped away from the sport in 2022. The Australian Open, which began on Sunday (Saturday night EST), marks the first Grand Slam tournament of 2025 and the first major since Nadal, 38, played his final match at the Davis Cup in November. Federer’s last match took place in 2021, but his retirement announcement came a year later.
“It’s tough for us. We grew up watching all of them, seeing them win all the events,” said Francisco Cerúndolo, a 26-year-old Argentine who has been ranked in the top 20. “Then suddenly we started playing against them, sharing the locker room, practicing with them, and having conversations with them. It’s the end of an era.”
Novak Djokovic has claimed 10 of his 24 Grand Slam titles at Melbourne Park, where he made his debut in 2005. He was set to start his quest for titles No. 11 and 25 on Monday, facing 19-year-old Californian Nishesh Basavareddy. Basavareddy recently revealed that he was leaving Stanford University to pursue a professional tennis career.
Djokovic reflected on his long history in Australia, saying, “It’s a nice number of years that I’ve been coming to Australia, the place where I had the greatest Grand Slam success.”
As he aims to become the first player in tennis history to win 25 major singles titles, one notable change is his coaching team for this event. Djokovic is being coached by his former on-court rival, Andy Murray, who retired from professional tennis last August.
Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, commented, “We thought we’d give it a go and see if I can help. Novak is not just one of the best tennis players of all-time. He’s one of the best athletes of all-time.”
Additionally, Djokovic’s family is with him in Melbourne this time, as he is accompanied by his wife and two children.
Nishesh Basavareddy, who is around half the age of the 37-year-old Djokovic, grew up idolizing the Serbian player, as did many other current tennis players. “He’s been my favorite player ever since I started watching (tennis), really,” said Basavareddy, recalling when he first began following the sport at about age 6 or 7. “I watched a lot of his matches and tried to learn from him.”
While some players chose Roger Federer, with his 20 Grand Slam titles, or Rafael Nadal, who won 22, as their role models, Djokovic remained the inspiration for Basavareddy.
As time passes, Djokovic’s playing career will eventually come to an end, but that day is not here yet. Even though he didn’t win a Grand Slam in 2024, marking the first year without one since 2017, Djokovic did secure the final missing piece from his impressive career—an Olympic singles gold medal, which he won at the Paris Games.
After a challenging 2024 season, hampered by knee surgery, Djokovic aimed to bounce back. His only tournament win last year was the Olympic gold, and he ended the season early by skipping the ATP Finals. He used the offseason to work with former rival Andy Murray.
Now, there is much speculation both within the tennis world and beyond about how much longer Djokovic plans to compete and what he can still achieve in the sport.
Wesley Koolhof, a 35-year-old former doubles champion who retired last year, expressed his sadness over the retirements of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, noting that injuries played a significant role in their departures. However, he highlighted that Novak Djokovic remains in good physical condition. “It’s a sad moment when Roger went, because the injuries had a lot to do with it. And Rafa also struggled with injuries. Nole is still quite fit,” said Koolhof. “You know it’s going to happen at some point that all the legends are going to retire, but Nole is still going strong. Who knows how many years he has left in him?”
Despite his age, Djokovic continues to impress his fellow players. Alexander Zverev, who has reached two major finals and is seeded No. 2 at the Australian Open, believes Djokovic is still among the best in the world. “For me, he’s still one of the best players in the world,” said Zverev.
Carlos Alcaraz, who has faced Djokovic in the last two Wimbledon finals and lost to him in the Olympic final, also had high praise for the Serbian champion. When asked what to expect from Djokovic in Australia, Alcaraz smiled and said, “A really dangerous player.” Alcaraz added, “If he goes to Australia hungry, he is going to be one of the favorites to win.”