'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Defeating the Big 3 of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer is what most players on the ATP tour have aspired to do over the last decade and a half.
While many have prevailed against one of the three great legends of the game, only a small number have managed to beat two of them.
Here, we take a look at nine players who have triumphed against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal but have never managed to get the better of Novak Djokovic.
#1 Rainer Schuettler
The German lost to Nadal no fewer than five times, but only after winning the very first encounter between the two that took place in 2004 on an indoor carpet surface in Basel.
Roger Federer had better luck against Rainer Schuettler, winning his first match against the German back in 1999. The 20-time Grand Slam winner went on to win a couple more times before losing in straight sets at the 2002 Dubai Open.
Schuettler, who was the runner-up at the 2003 Australian Open, failed to beat Novak Djokovic in three matches that took place between 2007 and 2009.
#2 Milos Raonic
Milos Raonic beat Rafael Nadal twice, both times on hardcourt. His first win against the Spaniard came in the 2015 Indian Wells Open. He beat Nadal for the second time a couple of years later at the Brisbane Open. The former World No. 3 did, however, lose to the Mallorcan on eight occasions.
Raonic, a one-time Wimbledon finalist, has a 3-11 record against Roger Federer after having registered wins at the 2014 Paris Masters, the 2016 Brisbane International and the 2016 Wimbledon semifinals.
Against Djokovic, however, the Canadian has a poor record, losing all 12 matches that the two have been a part of.
#3 Gael Monfils
A couple of rare wins interspersed with 14 defeats; the Frenchman's record against Nadal tells its own tale.
After a quarter-final win at the Qatar Open in 2009, Monfils had to wait three years before his second triumph against Nadal, which came at the same venue only this time in the semifinals.
The former World No. 6 has a far better record against Roger Federer, winning four times. The Frenchman's first win came in the semifinals of the 2010 Paris Masters, which was followed by another at the 2013 Shanghai Open. He also beat the Swiss in straight sets in the 2014 Davis Cup Finals, but it wasn't enough to prevent Switzerland from winning the title.
Monfils beat Federer for a fourth time at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2015.
The Frenchman could never quite get the measure of Novak Djokovic though, losing 17 times to the Serb in as many encounters.
#4 Andreas Seppi
The Italian triumphed just once against Nadal in nine attempts, at the 2008 Rotterdam Open.
Seppi had just one win to show for his efforts against Federer as well, although it came on one of the biggest stages in tennis -- the Australian Open in 2015. But the Italian went on to lose their 14 other meetings.
Seppi remained winless against Novak Djokovic in 12 encounters that spanned a decade between 2006 and 2016.
#5 James Blake
A 43% win record against a player of Rafael Nadal's caliber is a feat any player can be proud of. James Blake won his first three matches against the Spaniard before losing the next four.
The American's wins came in the 2005-06 period before the Mallorcan grew to be a near-invincible force on the ATP tour.
Blake beat Federer once in 11 outings, in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Blake, who is also a best-selling author, went on to lose to Novak Djokovic in the bronze-medal match of the Beijing Olympics. He failed to notch up wins against the Serb in the other two encounters that the two were part of in 2010 and 2011 at the US Open and Miami Masters respectively.
#6 Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish, a two-time finalist at the Western and Southern Open, got the better of Rafael Nadal at Cincinnati in 2011. This was the only time that he beat the Spaniard in nine matches.
The American has an identical 1-8 head-to-head record against Roger Federer as well, beating the Swiss player at the 2008 Indian Wells Open.
Fish failed to find the winning touch against Novak Djokovic, losing to the Serb seven times in total.
#7 Marcos Baghdatis
The Cypriot, who was a 2006 Australian Open semifinalist, prevailed over Nadal in the quarterfinals of the 2010 ATP Masters in Cincinnati. But he lost all the other nine matches against the Spaniard.
Baghdatis had a slightly better record against Roger Federer, winning at the 2010 Indian Wells Open. He lost each of their other seven meetings.
Baghdatis faced off against the Serb eight times with no success.
#8 Borna Coric
The Croatian has an enviable 2-2 head-to-head record against Rafael Nadal. A victory at the Swiss Indoors in Basel and one at the 2016 Cincinnati Open proved that Borna Coric was not intimidated by the Spaniard.
Coric also registered two wins against Roger Federer, at the Halle Open and the Shanghai Masters. Nevertheless, he trails their head-to-head 4-2.
The 2020 US Open quarterfinalist failed to defeat the Serb though, losing all four matches against the World No. 1 in straight sets.
#9 Dominik Hrbaty
The Slovak managed to beat Rafael Nadal three times in a row. The hat-trick of wins began at the Lyon Open in 2003 and continued in the final of the Auckland Open in 2004.
Nadal then withdrew from their round-of-32 clash in Auckland the following year to hand Hrbaty his third win against the Spaniard. Nadal finally got one back by defeating Hrbaty at the 2005 Barcelona Open.
The Slovak triumphed in two out of three matches against Federer. Victories at the 2000 Paris Masters and the 2004 Cincinnati Masters put Hrabty 2-0 ahead in the head-to-head with Federer, who managed to pull one back at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships.
Hrbaty failed to get past Djokovic when the two squared off in a Davis Cup World Group tie in 2008 which is the only encounter the two have been part of.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
