The former had most of his success in the 2000s, with the Swiss maestro making mincemeat of the ATP Tour in a time of elegant dominance.

Then, a young Spaniard called Nadal burst onto the scene, as his heavy topspin groundstrokes exposed Federer’s single-handed backhand up high and his physicality took the game to new heights.

Finally, Djokovic gatecrashed their duopoly in the 2010s and, remarkably, he now leads the men’s grand slam race with 24 – two ahead of Nadal and four in front of Federer.

Now, the 37-year-old Fognini has given his take on which of the three was his favourite and how they differed.

Fabio Fognini reveals he is a Roger Federer ‘fan’

The eight-time ATP Tour title winner claimed that “95%” of people will say Federer was their favourite of the trio, while explaining how Nadal and Djokovic punished you on the court.

Incidentally, Fognini lost all eight of his matches to Djokovic, failed to win any of his four against Federer, but managed to get the better of Nadal on a few occasions in a losing head-to-head of 14 to four.

In an interview with Relevo, he said: “Against Novak and Roger, I’ve never won. They are three myths, even if they are different. Athletically speaking and as a tennis fan, I’m a Federer fan.

“No disrespect to the other two, but I think if you ask people who was the best, 95% of them will say Roger Federer. It was a pleasure to watch him play. Djokovic, on the other hand, wastes your time and doesn’t let you play.

“As for Rafa, what can I say? He destroys you physically and psychologically. When I played him, except in Monte-Carlo (2019) where I ended up winning, I couldn’t stand up. It’s always happened. No matter where we played, the next day I was dead, completely exhausted.”

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic ‘big three’ era nearing end

A tearful Federer waved goodbye to professional tennis on an emotional night at the Laver Cup in September 2022.

Flanked by his great rivals, the then 41-year-old bowed out of the game with a doubles defeat alongside Nadal to bring down the curtain on a remarkable career.

Like Federer, the King of Clay struggled with injuries in the dying embers of his time on the court, with the 38-year-old hanging up his racket at the Davis Cup in his native Spain in November.

Nadal nearly retired in the embryonic stages of his career from a congenital foot issue but managed to play for more than two decades.

Now Djokovic is the last man standing of the Big Three. The 37-year-old is showing signs of slowing down after a slam-less 2024 but the Serbian great will be hoping his new coach, Andy Murray, can help him return to his former glory in 2025.

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