Top Ten Rankings of the Big Three Era: Federer Edges Out Djokovic Amid Controversy, Only One Without a Grand Slam!

Compared to football, the world's top sport, tennis, the second most popular sport, sees rankings more often. Recently, a media source published a TOP10 ranking for the Big Three era in tennis.

. The details are as follows:

Top ten players of the Big Three era (2003–2023)

【1】Roger Federer

【2】Novak Djokovic

【3】Rafael Nadal

【4】Andy Murray

【5】Stan Wawrinka

【6】Daniil Medvedev

【7】Andy Roddick

【8】Alexander Zverev

【9】Juan Martín del Potro

【10】Marin Čilić

This ranking period starts from Federer’s first Grand Slam victory and spans twenty years. Among the top ten selected, all except Zverev have won a Grand Slam title.

Federer ranks ahead of Djokovic at the top, which is probably the most surprising aspect of this list; Nadal’s third place might raise doubts about whether his 22 Grand Slam titles are underrated.

Following the Big Three are two three-time Grand Slam winners, Murray and Wawrinka. Recently, Roddick praised Murray as the strongest player with a single Grand Slam, who just narrowly leads Roddick by one spot. Coincidentally, both former world number ones have won the US Open.

The two players ranked at the bottom of the top ten also hold US Open titles. Del Potro and Čilić both defeated members of the Big Three on their way to winning, adding significant weight to their achievements.

Beyond the top ten, there are several notable contenders. They have consistently threatened Grand Slam titles or shown peak performances. Although ranked outside the top ten, they remain strong competitors.

Dominic Thiem — Grand Slam champion with a very high peak

David Ferrer — A consistent top-five grinder

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga — “Big match player,” Grand Slam finalist

Benoît Paire — Grand Slam finalist, has defeated members of the Big Four

Among these four, Thiem is the first male Grand Slam winner born in the 1990s. During his peak, he defeated members of the Big Three in deep rounds of major tournaments. Without injuries, he likely would have achieved more.

The other three were undeniably runners-up during the Big Three era, but each has at least one Grand Slam final and a Masters title, securing their place in history.

Besides these four, there are players who earned fringe honors and had moments of brilliance or brief peaks.

Gaël Monfils — Outstanding athleticism, strong personality, long career

Kevin Anderson — Two Grand Slam finals

Milos Raonic — Grand Slam finalist, consistently in the top ten

Robin Söderling — Two French Open finals, once defeated Nadal in Paris

Nikolay Davydenko — ATP Finals champion, multiple Masters titles.

Among these five, some are still active on the tour. In recent years, Raonic reached a Masters final, and Monfils has continued to win tour-level titles.

Apart from the above, which other notable players were left out? Is the top ten selection reasonable?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Luo Cheng Qiye)