In the past, Roger Federer had modestly acknowledged that he couldn’t compare his early successes to Rafael Nadal’s incredible talent and success as a teenager.
At the 2014 Wimbledon Championship, they were ranked second and fourth, respectively. The Swiss advanced to the championship match and faced Novak Djokovic in an exciting match, while the Spaniard was eliminated from the Major in the fourth round following a shocking upset loss to Nick Kyrgios. In the summit match, the Serb defeated the Swiss, winning 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4 to win his second Wimbledon championship.
The four players who have risen to prominence in men’s tennis in this era are Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Andy Murray. Their unrivaled dominance on the tour has earned them the moniker “Big 4.”When Roger Federer was asked how the younger players compared to the “Big 4” after losing to Djokovic in the 2014 Wimbledon final, Federer responded negatively. The four of them had achieved breakthroughs on tour far earlier in their careers, he noted in response, underscoring a substantial difference.
Even so, the Swiss acknowledged that he couldn’t compare Rafael Nadal’s early successes to his own, ranking the Spaniard alongside tennis great Bjorn Borg as one of the sport’s greatest teenage prodigies.
