Murray feels "lucky" to have played alongside Djokovic, Federer & Nadal, says nobody from the next generation will win 20 Slams

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have dominated the last two decades of the sport, collecting a total of 60 Grand Slam titles among themselves. Many believe that the other players from the current generation are unfortunate to have been born in the same era as the 'Big 3', but Andy Murray considers himself lucky to have played alongside them.

In an interview at his recent appearance in Antwerp, Murray talked at length about his rivalry with Djokovic, Federer and Nadal. The Scot encountered each of the three several times in his career, often at the business end of high-profile tournaments, which made his path to big titles very difficult.

But when asked whether he regrets being born in the same era as the Big 3, Andy Murray claimed that it was a "difficult question" to answer. The former World No. 1 admitted that he might have had more opportunities if the Big 3 hadn't existed, but in the same breath acknowledged the unique challenge of facing them in big tournaments.

"Do I regret being born at the same time as them? It's a difficult question," Murray said. "Obviously, on the one hand, I regret it because I tell myself that I could have won a lot more if they hadn't been there or if I had been 5 or 6 years younger. I would have had more opportunities. On the other hand, I had the opportunity to play and challenge the best players in history in the biggest tournaments."

Andy Murray particularly highlighted the fact that he could face each member of the Big 3 at their favorite hunting grounds - Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, Roger Federer at Wimbledon, and Novak Djokovic at the two hardcourt Slams. The Scot believes that facing such high-quality opposition in so many big matches helped him improve as a player.

"I was able to face Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, Roger Federer at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open and the US Open and always in the final, even at the Olympic Games," Murray said. "I obviously did not win all these meetings but I won a few. I feel lucky to have been able to play against them, they allowed me to improve by setting the bar so high."

"There are quite a few guys who could aim for the top" - Andy Murray on which youngsters are likely to take over from Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer

Stefanos Tsitsipas (L) and Andy Murray at Wimbledon 2021

Andy Murray was also asked which young players were most likely to dominate the tour in the years to come. The Scot named Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in response, singling out the former's "complete" game for special praise.

"For me, right now, Medvedev is best equipped to win on hard," Murray said. "He just won the US Open, but before that his hard results were excellent. I think his game is more complete than the others, (but) on clay it's hard to say."

"Tsitsipas is not bad at all but there are several other guys who could win too," the two-time Wimbledon champion added. "And on grass, it's even harder because even if the balls are slower, it's still a surface for specialists and there aren't many. Even Tsitsipas and Medvedev struggled on this surface so I don't really know."

Andy Murray went on to opine that nobody from the upcoming generation would go on to win 20 Grand Slams like the Big 3.

"There are quite a few guys who could aim for the top of the basket," Murray said. "We will see in 5 or 10 years who will be able to gain the upper hand, but I don't think any of them will manage to win 20 Grand Slams like the 3 monsters did."