Andy Murray : “Back pain for 11 years”
If the word warrior stuck to Nadal’s skin, the same could be said for Andy Murray, who, for several years, was the equal of the Big3, to the point of giving rise to the term Big4. The Scotsman with three Grand Slam titles (Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 and the US Open in 2012) carried the world crown for 41 weeks, ending a series of 666 weeks of domination by the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic trio.
“There were times when I felt overwhelmed, like I had no chance of competing with them. My victories weren’t easy: I had to fight tooth and nail. I had back pain for 11 years; I couldn’t move. The last few years have been hard, very hard on my body.”
Double Olympic champion, Andy Murray has experienced numerous injuries since 2016, even fearing that he would have to end his career in 2019 because of a destroyed right hip. It was only after a major operation that he got back on track. This year, a sprained ankle and a cyst on his spine made him realize that his body was telling him to stop.
Dominic Thiem : “A mere mortal”
If he managed to fight with Nadal, Djokovic and Federer, it is thanks to a hyper-powerful game. Which will lead to his loss on June 22, 2021, a few months after his only Grand Slam coronation won at the US Open. That day, on the pitch of Mallorca against Mannarino, the native of Wiener Neustadt saw his wrist broken. Never again did the Austrian return to the level that allowed him to reach third place in the world. “The doctor and many have told me: my wrist finally gave out from all the hitting during intense sessions. I was a mere mortal trying to compete with the three demigods of our sport. It definitely contributed to my injury.” And a premature end to his career.
Juan Martin Del Potro: “My body has decided”
Absent from the courts since 2022, it was only this season that Juan Martin Del Potro formalized his retirement. Without a string of injuries (eight knee operations, the placement of a hip prosthesis and a broken wrist), the Argentinian, winner of the US Open in 2009, would have a much better track record, as his game made it possible to compete with the Big3. But too quickly, too soon, too often, the Tower of Tandil frequented the infirmaries.
“I had more than a hundred injections, infiltrations everywhere, in a hip, a leg, my back. It was daily suffering. It was very difficult to compete with Djokovic, Nadal or Federer. When I was at my best level or I was fighting with them in the ranking, misfortunes happened to me and I had to start from scratch. My body decided my end.
The number: 62
Murray, Del Potro and Thiem have beaten the Big3 62 times. With 29 successes for Murray, 17 for Del Potro and 16 for Thiem.
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