Novak Djokovic was recently asked how many Grand Slams he would have won had Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal not competed in the same era and he gave a very thoughtful answer.

The Big Three of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have dominated the sport the past two decades as they have won 66 Grand Slams between them.

Federer initially led the way as he was the first man to 20 majors before his two rivals joined him on that total. Nadal was then the first to 22 before Djokovic equalled his record and the Serbian eventually set a new record of 24.

There is no doubt that the trio have inspired each other to achieve greater things over the years, but many believe if their careers did not overlap then one of them would have had daylight between himself and the chasing pack in terms of Grand Slams.

Ahead of his return to the Indian Wells Open, Djokovic was asked how far he would have been ahead in terms of majors, but he gave an excellent answer.

“‘What if, what if,’ is not really in my head. In terms of what more I could have won if it was not for these two guys, I try to see it from a different perspective of being really grateful that I had the rivalry I had with these two guys because they made me a better player. I said this a million times,” he said.

“When I won the Australian Open in 2008 I felt like, I broke the ice and am going to get into the mix with these two guys and try to dominate the sport and be the best, but for three years I wasn’t able to do that.

“So it took me really a while to break the code of Nadal and Federer, particularly in the biggest matches on the biggest stage. I just wasn’t able to win against them when it mattered the most… then the tables have turned and then I figured out what I need to do and kind of matured mentally, emotionally and, of course, physically.

“As a player, more experienced. Then since that moment, my career has been going thankfully with an upward spiral, which is amazing, but it’s all due to them and the rivalries I had with them and lessons I had to learn, particularly the [matches] I lost against them early in my professional career.”

Federer, of course, retired in September 2022 while Nadal has played only a handful of matches over the past 18 months due to injury.

Djokovic has been forced to form new rivalries and Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have stepped up.

The 24-time major champion added: “I remember John McEnroe saying [on TV]… that when Bjorn Borg retired he felt like a part of him also retired. He kept going. But I must say that it’s a similar feeling I have with Roger retiring and Rafa not playing much at all. It’s a strange feeling.

“I try to find a new rival [smiles] and I had some great matches with Alcaraz, Sinner lately, but they still remain the two biggest rivals I’ve ever had.”