British tennis coach Mike Digby had the privilege of training with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. While the debate over the greatest player of the Big Three continues, even after two of them have retired, only a select few people can claim to have shared a court with the trio of tennis icons.
Djokovic is the winner in terms of his career achievements, as he holds a record 24 Grand Slam titles. However, a large section of tennis fans believe that statistics alone should not settle the debate. Federer commanded a legion of fans with his grace on the court, while Nadal was able to win 22 Grand Slams despite the injury issues he faced during his career. However, for Digby, one player possessed more quality than his rivals, with the tennis coach also providing his pick for the greatest tennis player of all time.
When asked how he would compare the Big Three if he were blindfolded during a practice session, Digby replied: “It is difficult because they all bring an aura. I speak about this word a lot, like an aura to the tennis court. They have a strong presence but if I was blindfolded, they’re very different auras,” he said last year.
“I would say Federer, you can feel his presence just through the pure quality of ball striking. So just the sound of the ball off the strings, the elegance that he brings when he does it, just the calm and class that he brings, you can just feel it.
“But on the flip side, Nadal would be someone that you can hear, right? His aura comes through what you hear through the heaviness of the strike, through the grunt, obviously, through the feet that you can kind of just hear him scurrying his feet.”
Meanwhile, Digby, who coaches former world No.22 Tamara Zidansek, believes that Djokovic’s game contains similar traits to both his rivals, while still being a commanding presence on the court. “Novak has a blend of those two. He has a bit more of an arrogance to him. And I love that about him,” he continued.
“That’s genuinely not a negative comment at all. I think that if he didn’t have that, he wouldn’t be the Novak Djokovic that we all know. It makes him who he is.”
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Despite declaring Federer to be the most skillful player of the three, it is Djokovic’s combination of attributes that leads Digby to label the Serbian the sport’s best-ever player. “It makes him, in my opinion, the greatest that has ever played the game purely from a tennis standpoint,” Digby said of Djokovic.
The 28-year-old tennis coach has also spent time on the practice court with Jannik Sinner in the past. The 24-year-old won the Australian Open and Wimbledon to take his Grand Slam total to four. However, he was keen to avoid comparisons to Djokovic and the rest of the Big Three after winning the China Open earlier this week.
“I always say comparing me to Novak, he’s in different league with everything he has achieved in his career,” Sinner said.“I’m just a normal 24-year-old who tries to play the best tennis possible.
“I know I’ve won some great titles in my young career, but let’s see how long I can hold it. What Novak, Rafa and Roger did for 15-plus years was amazing. Novak is still here and showing some incredible tennis. So let’s see.”