One of the standout events on the horizon at the tail end of Tennis season is the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, an exhibition that has gained remarkable prominence. Several stars have already voiced their opinions ahead of the tournament. In a discussion among Dominic Thiem, Thanasi Kokkinakis, and Denis Shapovalov, the trio selected which member of the Big 3 possesses the most aura.

'I started to panic a little bit'

During the conversation, they unanimously agreed, that Roger Federer embodies class and Rafael Nadal represents aggressiveness. They collectively acknowledged Novak Djokovic as the most intimidating player in the game.

The Australian star shared a perspective, suggesting that when the crowd is against him, Novak could become an even greater threat. He explained that it might appear that booing Djokovic energizes his opposition, but both Thiem and Shapovalov echoed their co-host's thoughts, emphasizing that the Serbian superstar often harnesses the crowd's hostility to tap into his full potential.

“The worst is if, like, the crowd makes him pissed. If he gets p***ed and starts yelling at the crowd, dude, pack your bags,” Kokkinakis said.

“No, but that’s so bad. That’s, like, please, crowd, please,” Thiem said.

“Don’t p*** him off,” Shapovalov added.

Dominic Thiem added to the discussion by expressing that playing against Nadal at Roland Garros is arguably the toughest challenge in tennis history.

“But I think the worst thing in tennis is if you play against Rafa on Philippe-Chatrier, and the guy starts to talk: 2005, 2006, 2007…, you get to the 11th year and it's like you've already lost." Thiem said.

Denis Shapovalov provided a different perspective compared to Thanasi Kokkinakis. The Canadian still feels a sense of intimidation when it comes to Roger Federer.

“Roger. To me, like, still, to this day, I saw Roger in the Halle last year. I started to panic a little bit,” Shapovalov said.

Shapovalov admitted to feeling nervous whenever he encountered Federer. He also recounted a compelling story about how an ill Novak Djokovic managed to defeat him in straight sets.

“I remember Paris, the year I made the final. I played him in the final, and I was thinking, ‘Oh man…’ because I heard rumours he’d been sick all week, you know? And he was drinking his juices, drinking stuff all the time,” the Canadian recalled. “I’m like, dude, ‘I’ve got him. I’m playing the best tennis of my life. The guy is not feeling good; he’s not 100%. Like you said, this is my chance...’” Shapovalov said.

"Who do you think has got the most aura in the Big 3?"

Thiem: "The worst thing in tennis is if you play against Rafa in Roland-Garros and then the guy starts to talk 2005, 2006... You already lost." 😭

(🎥 @uts_tour_)pic.twitter.com/Nmjwh4AKR5

— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) November 29, 2024