How Djokovic reacted after beating Federer and Nadal in the same event

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Novak Djokovic is now the last remaining member of the Big Three still active, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal having stepped away from the game.

Nadal hung up his racquet after the Davis Cup in 2024, while Federer retired two years earlier following the Laver Cup.

Djokovic remains in pursuit of more titles on the ATP Tour, despite already holding a lead over both men in career Grand Slam victories.

His tally of 24 majors puts him ahead of Nadal’s 22 and Federer’s 20, while also matching Margaret Court’s total across both tours.

Novak Djokovic revels in victory over Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the same event

Djokovic is still going after the all-time record, but he also accomplished something else all the way back in 2007.

He was introduced to the media as the first player to ever defeat both Federer and Nadal at a single tournament.

“Wow,” Djokovic responded, before adding: “That was pretty impressive, you know, just to hear that. Well, where do I start?

“It’s been an amazing week for me, an amazing tournament. Probably next to Miami, the best tournament of my career.”

“I can say that this was an even bigger success because I managed to beat the first three players of the world in the last three rounds.

How Novak Djokovic’s ambitions grew during the 2007 season

It was a remarkable run for Djokovic, who became the first player since Boris Becker in 1994 to beat the world’s top three ranked players in a single event.

He started with a quarter-final win over Andy Roddick, taking it 7-6(4), 6-4, before seeing off Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-3 in the semi-final.

The title match pitted him against Federer once again, and Djokovic edged out the defending champion 7-6(2), 2-6, 7-6(2) to complete a memorable week.

Reflecting on what he learned from facing Federer and Nadal, Djokovic said: “Well, it’s still a long way to the first place of the world for me, even though I’m third in the world.

“I can’t exactly say that I’m thinking about becoming number one next year or in two years. You know, just try to keep my focus and do what I did until now, just stay on the right way.”

Djokovic first reached number one in July 2011. He went on to surpass both Federer and Nadal for total weeks at number one during his career – a record he still holds today.