What will men's tennis do without Nadal, Djokovic and Federer?

Men’s tennis is sitting pretty well now. It was nearly two decades ago.

It was a happy, continuous saga that produced fan gratification, attracted worldwide affection, countless high stakes matches, drama to the highest degree, and perhaps the greatest quality of tennis ever played in the history of a men’s game.

Welcome to the adventures of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer: the savings blessings of men’s tennis and the ultimate needle movers.

It’s no surprise to anyone who’s followed tennis for quite some time but these three current legends have carried their sport in a way no sportsman or athlete has since Tiger Woods in the late 1990s and Serena Williams in both the 2000s and 2000s. . .

They’ve had that level of a stifling grip on the sport. No statistics show that more than this.

Since 2004, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have combined to win 61 out of 73 titles at the last Grand Slam. You can divide their triple rivalry into three distinct periods where they, in unison, had complete control of men’s tennis.

From the 2005 French Open to Wimbledon 2009, all three have won 18 consecutive Grand Slams, with Federer (11) and Nadal (6) holding the top champions compared to Djokovic. From 2010 to 2014, the three won 16 of the 20 major championships (Nadal 8, Djokovic 6, Federer 2), including 11 consecutive titles in one period. From 2015 to the present, the trio have gone on to win 24 of 29 major tournaments (Djokovic 13, Nadal 8, Federer 3), which also included a streak of 14 consecutive championships won.

Not only have they imposed their will on the rest of the court for so long, but the stark fact is that the ATP Tour relied heavily on them to be the faces of men’s tennis.

What happens when the ‘Big Three’ disappears?

What is to be gained in men’s tennis when arguably the three greatest players of all time but also the sport’s three greatest stars are out of the game for good?

I know it’s hard to think of such a thing when we’re all enjoying the ride, but the end is closer than we might realize. In fact, it’s approaching fast.

For Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam winner (the first men’s player in history to win 20 slams) is essentially one foot into retirement. The biggest hitter in men’s tennis history for most people, he will turn 40 in August and hasn’t played since losing in the Wimbledon quarter-finals last July. Two knee surgeries in the past two years have kept him off the field, with his condition up in the air as to when, if he does, he’ll compete again.

At this point in Federer’s career, he’s nine men behind, and his chances of winning another Grand Slam seem slim.

The man standing as captain of the men’s Grand Slam at age 22 is Nadal, who earlier this month won his 14th title at the French Open at Roland Garros. What made it even more impressive wasn’t the Spaniard’s clay-court victory – confirming his dominance in a way no athlete has ever seen in a single sporting event – but the persistent injuries he dealt with before reaching this year’s second grand slam raised concerns about whether fit to play.

Nadal has always struggled with injuries all over his body, but when it was reported on March 22 that he would be out for four to six weeks with a broken rib, missing the French Open was a serious matter. After winning the Major, Nadal revealed that he had been suffering from chronic foot pain throughout the tournament and said:I don’t have any feelings on my feet. “

The 36-year-old admitted that he has no idea how long he will be playing due to the wear and tear that has built up in his body over the years. While Nadal is still playing at a high level, the physical burden he has placed on his body may force him to suspend him for good, sooner rather than later.

On the other hand, Djokovic is clearly the newest and least injured out of the three at the moment. If you had to bet on someone who is likely to play at least five more years on the tour, the Serbian would undoubtedly be the choice. With 20 major slams to his name, the sport’s greatest returnee is still in the best position to retire with more slams than Federer and Nadal, given that no player today can match the 35-year-old’s stamina, toughness and physical endurance. The longer the match.

The only major obstacle for Djokovic is the truth Himself.

So, when it comes to how men’s tennis will perform when Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are gone for good, there’s really no convincing way to answer that.

why? Because there is no worthy successor in the present place.

If you examine the history of most professional team sports or individual sports, usually in each era there is one athlete, or sometimes two or three, that stands out and defines that specific time period. And after they retire or retire, the game passes to the next generation and so on, leaving the game in good hands.

There are examples of this.

In NBA history, it started with George Mikan in the 1950s, then moved on to Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell in the 1960s, to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1970s, to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the 1980s, to Michael Jordan in the 1990s, to Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal in the 2000s, to LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant in the 2000s.

We saw it in boxing.

We went from the Sugar Ray Robinson era of the 1940s/50s, to the Muhammad Ali era of the 1960s/70s, to the Marvin Hagler-Sugar Ray Leonard-Roberto Duran-Tommy Hearns “Four Kings” era in the late ’70s/80s, to the era of Mike Tyson-Julio Caesar Chavez-Pernell Whitaker-Roy Jones Jr-Oscar De La Hoya in the late ’80s and ’90s, to the reign of Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the 21st century, now where the main fighters are Canelo Alvarez, Naoya Eno, Vasily Lomachenko , Terence Crawford, Errol Spence Jr and Oleksandr Usek.

It has been applied in the history of women’s and men’s tennis as well.

There was Margaret Court in the ’60s. Then Billie Jean King and Chris Evert in the ’70s. Then Everett and Martina Navratilova in the 80s. Then Steffi Graf and Monica Seles in the ’90s. Then the Williams sisters in the 2000s and Serena in the twenties.

Rod Laver was the man in the 1960s. Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg led the way in the 1970s. John McEnroe, Evan Lendl, Borg, and Connors brought men’s tennis to new heights in the ’80s. Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi were advancing American tennis in the ’90s. And as we know, Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have had a direct chokehold on sports in the 21st century.

Which player or players will take over after the Big Three?

Who will be the face of men’s tennis in the decade of 2020?

Honestly, I don’t see anyone there.

(BTW: Women’s tennis has the same problem and it’s much worse. The WTA lacks the star power and quality that Serena, Venus, and Maria Sharapova brought to the table, as well as a dearth of player competition, convincing matches, and inconsistency that plagued the top ten.) -15 players per week, with minimal coverage by sports media and networks, and most importantly fan interest, this sport is in trouble. I’ll probably touch on that in another column.)

I mean don’t get me wrong, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniel Medvedev, Dominic Thiem, Matteo Berrettini and Carlos Alcaraz are all in their twenties (Alcaraz is 19) and put up a stiff competition for the big three in the last pair. Years, they reached the finals of the Grand Slam (Tsitsipas, Berrettini) and could call themselves Grand Slam champions (Tim, Medvedev), but none of them, so far, have managed to break through and close the gap.

With Federer playing less and less, Djokovic and Nadal still topped the group, as they both combined to win the last five ATP Player of the Year awards (Djokovic 3, Nadal 2).

Take European football now.

Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been dominating the world of football – on and off the field – for more than a decade with fans and media alike completely focused on their duopoly. However, the sport is better equipped to beat the two when they move away or begin to decline – which they each gradually have – due to the presence of so many stars and footballers already distinguished, led by Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Badri. . European football will be in good hands.

Tennis is not so much.

Perhaps it is unrealistic to place high expectations on the younger generation. Some of these players may dominate in periods and play exceptionally well in certain periods, but it is about maintaining that high level, which will be the biggest challenge. What distinguishes the achievements of the Big Three is their longevity and time at the top.

The formidable problem for current and future players is not just breaking or equalizing the three records but convincing us that they are better, but more realistically, worthy of our attention.

Who is going to kick the three goats off their perch and take the torch in terms of bust, fanfare, respectability, marketability, box office attraction, world recognition, global appeal, viewing experience, and most importantly, keeping the sport relevant?