Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer held a stranglehold on men’s tennis for well over a decade that few could breach.
After all, they were three of the greatest players the sport had ever seen, and they were all competing in the same generation.
It’s actually quite frightening to imagine just how monopolised the sport might have been had it been just one of them, allowed to feast on the world’s biggest tournaments without ample rivalry.
However, it was not just this trio that provided pushback to each other’s brilliance. There were others who, on occasion, could trouble the status quo.
Andy Murray is naturally the most obvious option, but it’s worth remembering that Stan Wawrinka certainly did his bit in denting the Big Three’s dominance too.
Stan Wawrinka: crucial opposition to the Big Three
Were it not for the likes of the Swiss superstar, tennis over the last 20 years could have gotten stale.
And what’s ironic is that Wawrinka only ended up snagging three Grand Slam titles, a pittance compared to the 20, 22 and 24 accumulated by the Big Three respectively.
It’s a credit to the 40-year-old that he amassed this many, the same number as Murray, alongside a handful of other elite honours.
Stan Wawrinka’s record vs the Big Four
| Wins | Losses | |
| Novak Djokovic | 6 | 21 |
| Andy Murray | 10 | 13 |
| Roger Federer | 3 | 23 |
| Rafael Nadal | 3 | 17 |
Naturally, his record against Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Federer was far from a winning one. However, it was certainly competitive.
He took six wins against the former from 27 matches, but managed just three against his compatriot from the 26 matches they shared. Similarly, the Spaniard dominated their rivalry too, but Wawrinka still stole three more wins from him from 20 matches.
There are few in history who could have genuinely gone toe-to-toe with this trio, but Wawrinka deserves credit for at least earning their respect.
Stan Wawrinka’s three Grand Slam titles
It also cannot be forgotten that all three of Wawrinka’s Grand Slam titles came by beating a member of the Big Three in the final, arguably making those triumphs even sweeter.
His first came in Melbourne, where he defied all the odds on his way to the final. In the quarters he snapped a 14-match losing streak by beating Djokovic in five sets, before then upsetting the world number one Nadal in four sets.
Buoyed by this triumph, Wawrinka then capitalised on the shock exit of the Spaniard to win the French Open the following year. He beat fellow countryman Federer in the quarters again, before once again toppling Djokovic in major.
A mesmeric run of form, he was not finished there.
Wawrinka would win his third and final Grand Slam title, this time in New York, and once again against Djokovic in the final.
In all of his major finals, he defeated the number one-ranked player. Talk about doing it the hard way.
It’s sad that now, the heroic veteran now has just one main draw ATP win all year, with Wawrinka even considering retirement after his first-round exit at the French Open.
