Post-Big 3 era for men's tennis has begun!

[Vamos Rafa Nadal]

Djokovic and Nadal can certainly potentially win more slams but I believe that the big 3 era of dominance of the tour and of the Grand Slams is finally over. It has been a great ride - 60 Grand Slams over an 18 year period by only 3 players! And it has been enjoyable, entertaining, exciting, stressful - full of fan base battles, and of course great tennis matches and amazing rivalries between the 3 of them.

I was hoping this US Open would be a turning point - an opening up and moving away from the big 3 era. I am clearly a Nadal fan and of course I want him to continue to win Grand Slams and do well on the tour so just to be clear it isn't about tearing down the big 3. But it is time for newer stars to emerge, for the Grand Slams to be won by different men on the tour. We have 3 players who have on the whole been at a higher level than the rest of the tour outside of the big 3: Medvedev, Zverev, and Tsitsipas. Thiem will hopefully regain his health (and Rafa too), and then we have veterans such as Berrettini, Shapovalov, Rublev, Auger-Aliassime, Carreno Busta, just to name a few. Then we have even younger players - my favorite Carlos Alcaraz and others such as Sinner, Bublik, De Minaur, perhaps Rincon will do well on the tour. I know I am leaving some wonderful players out but the meaning of this list is to show the great depth in men's tennis right now. We don't know who will emerge and be able to win big tournaments, improve their skills to a higher level and win Grand Slams - this is a great time of a new beginning in men's tennis and I am so looking forward to watching what unfolds next over the next several years!

 

[InsideOut900]

It only took injured Nadal, injured Federer and Djokovic playing below his C game

 

[Rudiiii]

I don't see anyone stoping Djokovic at AO if draw opens up a little(Med and Zed in same half), at Wimbly literally no one, and at USO same as AO but a little more pressure on him.So nothing changed from last year, except Djokovix is one year older. As of Nadal, he had whole year to prepare for RG last year, same will happen next year, so again nothing changed for him, until we see how he gets ready and looks during clay

 

[Vamos Rafa Nadal]

I don't see anyone stoping Djokovic at AO if draw opens up a little(Med and Zed in same half), at Wimbly literally no one, and at USO same as AO but a little more pressure on him.So nothing changed from last year, except Djokovix is one year older

I see a huge change: the younger players are hungry and have seen how to do it with Medvedev's win at the USO this year. So it is definitely a possibility but of course not a certainty - and it is not a certainty either way.

 

[zvelf]

Yes, the Big 3 era is over. Federer won't win any more majors. Nadal may have one more French Open trophy in him. Djokovic might get 1 or 2 more majors, 3 at most, but then it's over for good. Going forward, Medvedev, Zverev, and Tsitsipas are going to contend for majors on their respective best surfaces while Berrettini, Rublev, Sinner, Auger-Aliassime, and Alcaraz continue to strive to raise their games and join that club of regular contenders. Federer will retire next year, Nadal the year after that, and Djokovic the year after that.

 

[Wiggedbaldy]

All we needed for people to believe djokovic is done was him being one match away from winning all 4 slams.

 

[Vamos Rafa Nadal]

All we needed for people to believe djokovic is done was him being one match away from winning all 4 slams.

I don't think he's done. I think he will likely win a few more Grand Slams. The question is how many? I have no idea. That's what makes it fun!

 

[Mediterranean Might]

For me the era is officially ushered in when none of them win a slam in a calendar year

 

[WildRevolver]

I don't see anyone stoping Djokovic at AO if draw opens up a little(Med and Zed in same half), at Wimbly literally no one, and at USO same as AO but a little more pressure on him.So nothing changed from last year, except Djokovix is one year older. As of Nadal, he had whole year to prepare for RG last year, same will happen next year, so again nothing changed for him, until we see how he gets ready and looks during clay

It's going to be extremely difficult for Rafa considering he could be ranked outside the top 10 by the time clay season starts. He'd have to play a lot, win, risk hurting his foot again, risk tiring himself out before the FO, and then win the 7 matches in the FO as maybe the 5 or 6 seed if all goes well in the 5 tournaments leading up to it.

 

[Sampras-Bruguera 1993]

Just took for Fedal to have amputated legs and Djokovic to be all gassed moving like a 50 year old for it to happen. LOL. What took so long? There should have been a "Changing of the guard" 2-3 years ago at least

 

[Goof]

It's going to be extremely difficult for Rafa considering he could be ranked outside the top 10 by the time clay season starts. He'd have to play a lot, win, risk hurting his foot again, risk tiring himself out before the FO, and then win the 7 matches in the FO as maybe the 5 or 6 seed if all goes well in the 5 tournaments leading up to it.

If Pete Sampras can win his last US Open as the 17 seed, Rafa can surely win RG without a top seed as well.

 

[Vamos Rafa Nadal]

The fact that Federer and Nadal will be seeded lower could very well mean that draws will open up with higher ranked players being eliminated earlier creating opportunities for the up and coming players to make deeper runs which will build confidence for them.

 

[tudwell]

Not writing the eulogy yet. It seemed like it was ending in 2014 when Wawrinka broke through in Australia and then we had a Big 3-free final at the US Open. Raonic and Dimitrov were on the rise as well. Nadal was struggling in the second half of the year, Murray had fallen off since 2013, Federer was better than 2013 but worse than the years before that. The Big 3 weren't ancient, but Nadal had just turned 28, Novak 27 – it wasn't unthinkable that they wouldn't replicate the success of their early-to-mid 20s.

Obviously this is a VERY different situation, they're all much older, but if Nadal comes back at full health next year, then it's not just one of the Big 3 with the possibility of dominating but 2. So even if Novak can't replicate the success of this year, Nadal could be there to pick up the slack. I'd be surprised if they swept all 4 majors, but I would be even more surprised if they won none.

 

[duaneeo]

The saga of the Big-3 slam race, which began in 2003 at Wimbledon, ends in 2021 at the US Open.

 

[Vamos Rafa Nadal]

The saga of the Big-3 slam race, which began in 2003 at Wimbledon, ends in 2021 at the US Open.

I would be extremely surprised if that were to happen. It could but it seems highly unlikely. Rafa is the only one of the three I would want to see win more but Djokovic will likely win a few more over the next 3 years. I think he will stick around until he is 36 or 37 if he remains healthy.

 

[Goosehead]

federer and nadal might have played their last matches. so op could be on it.

 

[MichaelNadal]

 

[mike danny]

All we needed for people to believe djokovic is done was him being one match away from winning all 4 slams.

Fellow Bleach fan, love it

 

[mike danny]

I'll believe there is a changing of the guard only if Djokodal won't win most of the slams next year.