Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray collectively changed the game of tennis.
The Big Four, as they are known, dominated the sport for two decades.
Between them, the quartet have won a combined 69 Grand Slam tennis singles titles, and consecutively held the world No. 1 ranking between February 2004 and February 2022.
Alongside their collective dominance, each man is a star in their own right, boasting accomplishments that those outside of the Big Four may never match.
Djokovic, the only one still playing, has won a record 24 Grand Slam men’s singles titles across his incredible career.
Nadal, meanwhile, is regarded as the ‘King of Clay’ thanks to his dominance and record-breaking performances on that surface, especially at the French Open where he has won a record 14 singles titles.
Federer, the oldest of the four, spent a record 237 consecutive weeks ranked as the best in the world, while Murray‘s greatest triumph came at Wimbledon in 2013, when he became the first home champion at the men’s event since Fred Perry in 1936.
The Big Four burst onto the tennis scene in the early 2000s, at a time where the sport was looking for its next big stars.
Now, two decades on, fans are realising just how lucky they were to witness the greatness that unfolded.
And while Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray were so often a joy to watch, they were no doubt a pain to play against.
But who was the best of the best?
Tim Henman, who boats an impressive career of his own, is one of the few players who came face-to-face with every member of the Big Four.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the British tennis icon revealed who was toughest to play against.
“I played Federer the most and I felt that he had the most complete game, he could play on any surface, had very few weaknesses and there wasn’t a specific area that you could necessarily attack,” Henman explained.
“I only played Djokovic once when he was young, I think sort of 18, 19 and his game was developing then, he didn’t serve quite so well, but it’s been incredible to watch how their games have developed over the years.
“If you’d have said to me back then when I played them all for the first time, can they win a slam? I would have said yeah, I think they can win a slam or maybe two.
“But I certainly didn’t think they were going to go on and win 69 between them.
“For me, Federer was the most complete player that I ever played against.”
Despite naming Federer as his toughest opponent, Henman does not believe the Swiss legend is the greatest male player of all time.
Instead, he suggests that crown should go to Djokovic.
“For me, it’s fairly straightforward that Djokovic is the greatest male player of all time,” Henman added.
“How do you judge that? I think it does become a numbers game, it’s who has won the most Grand Slams, who has had the most weeks at number one, who has won the most Masters 1000 – and it’s Djokovic.
“So for me, it’s a pretty straightforward conversation that Djokovic is the greatest male player of all time.”
Tim Henman spoke to talkSPORT as Sky Sports celebrated the launch of their 2025 tennis coverage.
Sky Sports is the home to more live tennis than anywhere else. Watch year-round action including the ATP and WTA Tours and US Open exclusively on Sky Sports and NOW.
