Former hitting partner Mike Digby had a chance to hit with some of the biggest names of the game, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.Ā
Tennis has a rich history when it comes to the champions of the game but Djokovic, Nadal and Federer are the three players than stand out.Ā
Digby, who also works as a tennis coach, explains what makes the Big Three so great.Ā
“When you become a top 100 player, top 200 player, everyone can play tennis,” Digby said on The Tennis Files Podcast, per Sportskeeda. “Everyone can hit a forehand, everyone can hit a backhand, everyone is pretty athletic, everyone can serve pretty well, everyone can return pretty well. But the players that are ultra successful are the ones that can compete the best. And I think just reinforcing daily, having a competive environment and undertstanding what a competitor means – even for the top 100 players – that’s what wins them matches.”
Digby: Djokovic, Nadal & Federer all deliver under pressureĀ
“I’m incredibly impressed with Nadal’s forehand, with Federer’s forehand, with Djokovic’s returns, but I’m more impressed with their ability to do all of that as a competitor under pressure, under extreme pressure,” Digby continued. “And that’s what makes them the great champions that they are.
“The likes of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer – they have the basics both on court and off court nailed on. So then it allows them to be a little bit more creative in certain moments. No need to ever overcomplicate things, just get the basics done really, really well.”
Nadal made a strong start to the 2022 season, winning a record 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open.
Djokovic and Federer didn’t play – the Serb because of his vaccine stance, while the Swiss wasn’t ready to play because he was recovering from a knee surgery he underwent in August.