What was the world like the last time no member of the Big 3 was in the Wimbledon semifinals?

Diego Jiménez Rubio | 8 Jul 2026 | 15.27

Roger Federer, the Big 3 in Wimbledon semifinals. Photo: gettyimages

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With the classification of Novak Djokovic for the semifinals of Wimbledon 2026, tennis once again confirmed one of the most extraordinary streaks in the history of sports. It has been 24 years since the last time the tournament did not have at least one member of the Big 3 among the final four. The last edition in which this happened was 2002, when Roger Federer had not yet won his first Grand Slam, and neither Rafael Nadal nor Novak Djokovic had even debuted on the professional circuit.

The magnitude of this data is better understood by looking back. In 2002, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, and the iPhone did not exist. Netflix was not even a streaming platform but a DVD rental service, and the trendy phones were models like the Nokia 6610, very different from today's smartphones.

The Wimbledon 2002 edition was the last one without Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic in the semifinals

In the sports scene, Michael Schumacher was dominating Formula 1, Ronaldo Nazário had just become a world champion with Brazil in Korea and Japan, and Carlos Alcaraz hadn't even been born. Roger Federer had not yet won any of his 20 Grand Slams; his first Wimbledon title would come just a year later, marking the beginning of an unparalleled era.

Since then, Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic have monopolized the Wimbledon semifinals, outlasting several generations of challengers and extending a dominance that seemed impossible to sustain for over two decades. Now it's Djokovic who keeps alive that impressive streak, the last representative of a generation that forever changed the history of tennis.

The streak will end someday, but with each passing edition, its value becomes even greater. Twenty-four years later, the Big 3 continues to make their mark at Wimbledon, a tournament that has been the perfect stage to gauge the scope of three unparalleled careers and that, thanks to the Serbian, continues to defy the passage of time.

Last time there wasn't a Big 3 member in the semifinals at Wimbledon was 2002.

24 years.

With Novak Djokovic's win over Aliassime, the streak is still alive. pic.twitter.com/J8ZXr4nID1
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 7, 2026