Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic: How many players have strong head-to-head records against each of the Big-3?

Winning against the trio of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, collectively known as the Big-3 in tennis, is considered the toughest job on the men's circuit. Only a handful of players have a better head-to-head record against them in their careers.

Out of the three, Nadal has the best record, with only 11 players having a favorable record against him. The Spaniard was recently bested by Borna Coric in the Round of 32 at the 2022 Cincinnati Open. This was the Croatian's third win against the Spaniard, while the veteran has won twice against Coric.

Alex Corretja (2-0), Dustin Brown (2-0), Dominik Hrbaty (3-1) and Nikolay Davydenko (6-5) are some of the other players with a winning record greater than 50 percent against the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

Meanwhile, only 12 players have a better head-to-head record against Djokovic, while 28 players have a better head-to-head record against Federer.

Marat Safin (2-0), Jiri Vesely (2-0), Nick Kyrgios (2-1), Fernando Gonzalez (2-1) and Andy Roddick (5-4) are some of the 12 players with a strong record against the Serb.

Players like Patrick Rafter (3-1), Alexander Zverev (4-3), Dominic Thiem (5-2), Rafael Nadal (24-16) and Novak Djokovic (27-23) hold a good record against the 41-year-old Swiss.

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"I need to practice, need to improve" - Rafael Nadal after reacts to Cincinnati Open defeat to Borna Coric

It was not an ideal return to the tour for Rafael Nadal as he was beaten by Borna Coric in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters, which comes as a blow to his US Open preparations.

The 36-year-old admitted that he needs to practice and improve before the New York Major kicks off on August 29.

“Obviously I didn’t play my best match, something that can happen. So coming back from a tough period of time, something that’s easy to accept and easy to say congrats to Borna that he played better,” he said in his post-match press conference.

“I need to improve. I need to practise. I need to return better. I need days, and that’s the truth. It’s obvious that I was not ready enough to win the match today. [It] has been a difficult injury to manage. The last month and a half haven’t been easy,” he added.

As things stand, the Spaniard might be the only member of the Big 3 who will be taking part in the US Open this year. Roger Federer has been on the sidelines due to injury woes, while Novak Djokovic currently cannot enter the United States of America owing to him being unvaccinated against the coronavirus.