Former World No.3 Nikolay Davydenko believes Novak Djokovic is dominating the current young crop in tennis because they are psychologically intimidated by him. He said the new generation isn’t as strong as the preceding one, using Carlos Alcaraz as an example. Davydenko echoed Rafael Nadal’s former coach, Toni Nadal, who believes that Djokovic is not as good as he was 10 years ago because of the current generation being weaker.
Djokovic has reigned supreme over the ATP Tour for the past few years. With Roger Federer retiring and Rafael Nadal’s decline, Next Gen stars like Alcaraz were expected to challenge the World No.1 consistently. While the Spaniard and others like Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner have given a decent account of themselves, they haven’t stopped Djokovic from dominating the field as such. In 2023, the Serbian won three Grand Slams and the ATP Finals title as well out of his eventual 7.
Davydenko, whose career coincided with peak Big 3 rivalry, said his peers were stronger competitors to the trio. He said the younger generation, even including two-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz, cannot pose strong competition like the previous generation did.
“The generation alongside the Big Three used to be a little stronger. Now, even Alcaraz, who, like Nadal in his youth, is a good runner, in tennis terms I can’t say that he exceeds expectations [historically].”
He said Djokovic wins the mental battle against the newer players. Davydenko claimed they get intimidated upon just seeing the 24-time Grand Slam winner, allowing him to overpower them.
“Djokovic also beats the younger generation with his head – they are already psychologically losing to him. ‘Ah, Djokovic, that’s all!’ And Novak dominates thanks to this.”
Players like Alexander Zverev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, alongside slightly older players like Gael Monfils and Grigor Dimitrov, have often been guilty of respecting the Big 3 a little too much for their own good. Davydenko believes the younger generation is also repeating the same mistake. Alcaraz himself has been accused of being obsessed with Djokovic. Such idolisation gives the latter an undeniable advantage on the court, which could be why he continues to rule the sport even at 36.
Davydenko’s record against Novak Djokovic and the Big 3
Nikolay Davydenko was one of the elite players who would have had a much better career had they not been in the same era as the Big 3. While he never advanced beyond the semi-finals in a Grand Slam, he won the 2009 ATP Finals, then called the Tennis Masters Cup. He defeated Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal en route to his title, losing to Novak Djokovic in the round-robin stage.
Davydenko is one of the few players to collect wins over each of the Big 3. His advice to the current generation on how to deal with Djokovic comes from his experience of facing the Serb eight times. He won twice and lost six, including the 2008 final of the Tennis Masters Cup. The Russian claimed younger players today lose the psychological battle by getting daunted by the Serb, allowing him to dominate. Ironically, that seemed to be the case for Davydenko with Federer. The Swiss leads their head-to-head 19-2, one of the most lopsided records in tennis.
However, Davydenko had a winning record against Nadal, leading him 6-5. This includes the finals of two ATP 1000 events, the 2008 Miami Masters and 2009 Shanghai Masters. Players from the younger generation could look at him as an example of not getting intimidated when facing legendary players.
