Kevin Anderson says Big 3 playing in the same era is "very unique", claims Novak Djokovic's bid for Calendar Slam is "incredible"

Novak Djokovic (L) and Kevin Anderson
Novak Djokovic (L) and Kevin Anderson

Kevin Anderson recently gave his thoughts on a variety of topics, including the dominance of the Big 3 and whether the ATP Player Council intends to work with the Novak Djokovic-led PTPA in introducing new reforms for players.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, collectively known as the "Big 3", have dominated men's tennis since the early 2000s. They have won 24 of the last 29 Grand Slams, and share a mammoth 60 Majors between them.

Against that background, Anderson said it was "amazing" to see three of the greatest tennis players of all time compete in the same era.

"Yeah it's been amazing (to see) the success those three guys have had. Very unique time, I don't think you're necessarily going to see that in a very long time, you know,"Anderson said after his victory over Jenson Brooksby in the Newport final.
"Three guys, who own the majority of the records in the sport, are all playing at the same time, it's very unique across different sports."

The 35-year-old also made it a point to highlight the achievements of Novak Djokovic this year. The Serb has won all three Grand Slams played in 2021 so far and can complete a historic Calendar Slam by lifting the US Open title.

"A lot of people have been captivated by those rivalries, some point it's important to see new faces. But it seems they all are playing some great tennis, Novak especially," Anderson said.
"Djokovic's had an amazing year so far, going for some more history at the US Open. It's a really big storyline, soon you're gonna have the chance to do it and it's incredible. It certainly adds discussion in the years to come on who's potentially the best of those 3 players."

I'm not sure how the ATP Council and the Novak Djokovic-led PTPA will join forces: Kevin Anderson

During the interaction, Kevin Anderson was also asked to shed some light on a possible collaboration between the ATP Players Council and the PTPA, a breakaway players' body formed by Novak Djokovic.

Anderson succeeded Djokovic as the President of the ATP Player Council after the Serb resigned from his position to form the PTPA.

The PTPA has since been at loggerheads with the ATP over a number of issues, including its 30-year Strategic Plan, which will purportedly introduce reforms like equal profit sharing, increased prize money pool and tournament audits.

When asked if the two bodies could work together in the future, Anderson said it was unclear, as the PTPA had not fully disclosed their plans as yet.

"I'm still not 100% sure how the Council and the PTPA will join forces, because I'm not privy to what plans the PTPA have exactly, and how they're going about things." Anderson said.
"I know that they have set up a board now, have quite a few people involved, but I'm not sure about more than the specifics.. I'm just trying to play the part I have in our structure."

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