Tennis news - Why Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Nadal have not finished writing history

Djokovic picked up the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles this year while Nadal won the French and US Opens to take them to 16 and 19 Grand Slams, second and third on the all-time list.

They both still trail 20-time winner Federer, but French Open and Paris Masters director Forget, who saw an imperious Djokovic win in the French capital last week, reckons all three might still have titles to add.

"We would like to see others. But the 'Big Three' are more than 30 years old, they behave as the younger guys do, they are hungry of wins, they are fast, have longevity, they work a lot and they go through tough situations. That's the sign of the greatest," Forget said

"I think Novak has not finished writing Grand Slam history. But maybe Roger and Rafa either."

Djokovic's win last week was his fifth Masters title in Paris, an unprecedented achievement at the tournament, and he confirmed it in emphatic style, sweeping aside Denis Shapovalov 6-3 6-4.

However, the refreshed rankings saw Nadal overtake him as the new world No 1 despite the Spaniard having to pull out at the semi-final stage in Paris due to an injury, denying fans the chance to see another meeting between the two legends of the sport.

"Novak was way above his opponent [in the final]," Forget added.

"For sure with Djokovic and Nadal we would have seen a titanic battle, with very long rallies, a physical commitment and guys who would increase their game level on a consistent basis.

"It's a shame that one of the two [Nadal] was not able to defend his chances. Many people would have dreamed of a final here between them with maybe revenge happening in London [at the ATP Tour Finals]."

The bar will soon be set. For all Federer's commitment to the sport, he is winding up his career and most expect him to call it a day next year.

The Swiss will play all four Grand Slams as well as the Tokyo Olympics, but little else in an effort to give his 38-year-old body the best chance possible of making it through the season unscathed.

At best, Federer will win two Grand Slams, with the French likely to be beyond him but the other three certainly within his grasp. Winning three out of four would of course be possible but seems unlikely, meaning he could hang up his racket with 22 Grand Slam titles to his name.

Will Djokovic catch him? He will, if fit, be a contender in all four Slams next year and at the age of 32, should have a good few years left in him. Assuming 22 is the target - or 23 to overtake Federer - he will need to win two Slams a year until he is 35, and then one more for good measure.

It is a tall order, but my concern would not be the task at hand. Instead, I would question whether Djokovic is able to play for another four years. His elbow injury will not seem to go away and he has had problems in his shoulder as well, both areas that tend to be more debilitating to a tennis career than knees or backs, both of which Federer has had.

I will never write off Djokovic, but his body may give up on him before anyone else does.