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Former World No. 8 Marcos Baghdatis believes that what Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are doing right now is 'out of this world'. Speaking in an interview with Cyprus Mail, Baghdatis talked at length about the Big 3 and also gave his thoughts on why they continue to be so successful even after going past their 30s.
The 35-year-old Cypriot was the runner-up at the 2006 Australian Open and a semifinalist at Wimbledon the same year. Baghdatis scored one win over Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal each, out of eight and 10 matches respectively, while he was 0-8 against Djokovic.
During the interview Baghdatis asserted that what the Big 3 are doing is anything but 'normal'. He pointed out that if it was so easy to dominate the tour for years on end, many other players - including himself - would've done the same.
"Take for example the Big 3, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic," Baghdatis said. "People see them and think what they are doing is normal. But I assure you it’s not, if it was I would have done the same!"
According to Baghdatis, the incredible success of the Big 3 is down to their desire to continuously improve. This desire has remained constant all through the years, despite the fact that they have achieved pretty much everything there is to achieve in tennis.
"What Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have achieved is out of this world. And the reason they are still out there winning tournaments is because they never stop learning, they always find ways to improve themselves, even after almost two decades at the top," he added.
Taking inspiration from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Baghdatis is trying to keep a positive attitude and preserve his desire to improve even in his life post-retirement. The Cypriot called it quits from the tour last year, and since then has been working with WTA star Elina Svitolina as a consulting coach.
“Every day I come across something new, I pay attention to details, I study the game and I try to communicate with her (Svitolina) in the most honest and simple way, without complicating things," Baghdatis said. "Again, learning is the key, it allows me to improve myself as a coach as well as a person. Good results will always come to those who manage to keep an open mind, in sports as in everyday life.”
It will be tough for anyone to emerge after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic retire: Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis, who was a World No. 1 in the juniors, also spoke about how difficult it would be for a new talent to emerge and dominate after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic retire from the sport. The Cypriot did add, however, that young Italian Jannik Sinner has the potential and the right support team to achieve great things in the sport.
“It will be tough for anyone to emerge after them, even though there are great talents around," Baghdatis said. "One of them is Italian Jannik Sinner, he has everything to become great, including a great team around him and a legendary coach like Riccardo Piatti, which is an extremely important thing, especially at a young age such as his.”
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