Can Federer, Nadal, Murray, Younguns or anyone else pose a real threat to Djokovic's #1 dominance?

[Bruno Santiago]

The serb has dominated world tour over the last 5 years, winning more Slams, Finals and Masters than anyone. In 2015 he scarily increased his dominance (see table -A- below) to win 10 Tour14 titles, 6 M1000, 1WTF and 3 GSs, something no other player has ever accomplished in history (see table -B- below).

Considering Federer has fiercely challenged him in 2012 and Nadal in 2013, can they do it again? Is Murray or Wawrinka capable of consistently fighting him on equal terms? Is there any other younger or older player capable of doing so?


Table -A-

Beast seasons since 2000 rankings standardization (% points of total 4GS+WTF+9M1000 possible 100%pts):

1 Novak Djokovic 90,7 % 2015 >>> DJOKOVIC's best season - 1st place overall
1 Federer, Roger (SUI) 90,5 % 2006 >>> FEDERER's best season - 2nd place overall
1 Federer, Roger (SUI) 77,6 % 2007
1 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 73,7 % 2011
1 Federer, Roger (SUI) 72,7 % 2005
1 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 72,2 % 2008 >>> NADAL's best season - 6th place overall
1 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 70,4 % 2013
1 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 69,8 % 2012
1 Federer, Roger (SUI) 68,5 % 2004
1 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 67,3 % 2010
2 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 66,3 % 2013 >>> best season for a #2 - 11th place overall
2 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 62,0 % 2007
1 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 61,6 % 2014
2 Federer, Roger (SUI) 57,4 % 2008
3 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 57,2 % 2008 >>> best season for a #3 - 15th place overall
1 Federer, Roger (SUI) 57,0 % 2009
2 Federer, Roger (SUI) 55,5 % 2012
2 Federer, Roger (SUI) 53,4 % 2014
2 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 51,9 % 2011
2 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 51,5 % 2005
2 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 49,8 % 2009
2 Federer, Roger (SUI) 49,4 % 2010
1 Roddick, Andy (USA) 49,0 % 2003 >>> RODDICK's best season - 24th place overall
1 Hewitt, Lleyton (AUS) 48,5 % 2002 >>> HEWITT's best season - 25th place overall
3 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 48,3 % 2007
2 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 48,3 % 2006
2 Federer, Roger (SUI) 47,3 % 2003
1 Hewitt, Lleyton (AUS) 47,2 % 2001
2 Andy Murray (GBR) 46,9 % 2015 >>> MURRAY's best season - 29th place overall
3 Ferrero, J.Carlos (ESP) 45,5 % 2003 >>> FERRERO's best season - 30th place overall
1 Kuerten, Gustavo (BRA) 45,4 % 2000 >>> KUERTEN's best season - 31th place overall
3 Roger Federer 45,1 % 2015
3 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 44,9 % 2009
2 Safin, Marat (RUS) 44,5 % 2000 >>> SAFIN's best season - 34th place overall
3 Federer, Roger (SUI) 44,2 % 2011
3 Murray, Andy (GBR) 43,2 % 2012
2 Kuerten, Gustavo (BRA) 41,7 % 2001
4 Murray, Andy (GBR) 40,2 % 2008 >>> best season for a #4 - 38th place overall
4 Murray, Andy (GBR) 39,9 % 2011
2 Roddick, Andy (USA) 39,5 % 2004



Table -B-

Best seasons in Open Era, according to broad top ATP and ITF titles (only 9 M1000, 1 WTF, 4 GS):

10 Titles - Djokovic-2015
8 Titles - Federer-2006, Djokovic-2011
7 Titles - Nadal-2013
6 Titles - Djokovic-2014, 2xFederer-2007-2005, Sampras-1994, 2xLendl-1987-1986, McEnroe-1984, Borg-1979, 2xConnors-1976-1974.

 

[SpinToWin]

As of now it seems unlikely...

I personally think it will depend more on Djokovic's performances.

But who knows, perhaps somebody just explodes out of nowhere like Novak in 2011, it's hard to know.

 

[nolefam_2024]

KOC for sure.

 

[Bruno Santiago]

KOC for sure.

Could he come back healthier, he surely could do a ground shaking 2010 or 2013 like resurgence.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Could he come back healthier, he surely could do a ground shaking 2010 or 2013 like resurgence.

Yes, 2013 he made change though, his forehand was flatter than ever, backhand was working well, so not sure he can go to that level but he will be constant opposition for sure, and will have some big wins unlike Murray who has lost any edge and Stan who is inconsistent and Fed who is close to finish line now.

 

[SpinToWin]

KOC for sure.

Unfortunately, I'm not optimistic, since he already has one full season in his bones... When's the last time he's played two full seasons in succession?...

 

[nolefam_2024]

Could he come back healthier, he surely could do a ground shaking 2010 or 2013 like resurgence.

Yes, 2013 he made change though, his forehand was flatter than ever, backhand was working well, so not sure he can go to that level but he will be constant opposition for sure, and will have some big wins unlike Murray who has lost any edge and Stan who is inconsistent and Fed who is close to finish line now.

 

[NBP]

All I know is that 2016 is going to be very interesting. If he can keep it up, good on him. If he doesn't, we will witness him losing which will feel weird, considering the man has barely lost since September 2014.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Unfortunately, I'm not optimistic, since he already has one full season in his bones... When's the last time he's played two full seasons in succession?...

But its not pattern we are working with. The current pattern has to be broken somewhere.

 

[Jokervich]

No one can pose a consistent threat. Wawrinka can play godly now and then, and an inspired young player could beat Djokovic on an off-day. But as for consistently playing well enough across the entire season to challenge Djokovic's dominance? No chance.

 

[InsideOut900]

Not a chance for Murray,Stan or other players. Regarding Federer,I feel his form will go down to the toilet next year,he already had one of the best seasons ever for a 34 y old.(not really counting him out,but blind prediction). There is only one choice

 

[SpinToWin]

But its not pattern we are working with. The current pattern has to be broken somewhere.

Let's hope you're right... Some more good Djokodal matches would be a godsend (but please without the excessive time between points boys!! )

Edit: by the way, do you like Tomic too now or is this just some jolly good banter?

 

[90's Clay]

Fed? Nahh hes done beating Nole on a big stage
Murray- Maybe if he didn't split with Lendl. THat ship has sailed
Nadal- He CAN but its all dependent on whether or not he can get back to a confident form. Lots of miles and injuries.
Stan- Probably the only realistic chance at this point
The rest- Not even worth discussing really. Muggified field

 

[nolefam_2024]

Let's hope you're right... Some more good Djokodal matches would be a godsend (but please without the excessive time between points boys!! )

Yep, the AO final between Djokodal had less points played than Stanrinka 2013 AO. And it was nearly a hour longer. These two are dull in playing points quickly. I would love a 6hr final but with more points surely.

 

[SpinToWin]

Fed? Nahh hes done beating Nole on a big stage
Murray- Maybe if he didn't split with Lendl. THat ship has sailed
Nadal- He CAN but its all dependent on whether or not he can get back to a confident form. Lots of miles and injuries.
Stan- Probably the only realistic chance at this point
The rest- Not even worth discussing really. Muggified field

Who is the least muggiest in this field of mugs though?

 

[nolefam_2024]

Let's hope you're right... Some more good Djokodal matches would be a godsend (but please without the excessive time between points boys!! )

Edit: by the way, do you like Tomic too now or is this just some jolly good banter?

I don't follow Tomic a lot but he is good talent. He can play all shots comfortably and I am hoping for amazing year for him. Tired of big four surely.

 

[Bruno Santiago]

I don't follow Tomic a lot but he is good talent. He can play all shots comfortably and I am hoping for amazing year for him. Tired of big four surely.

He is a good bet. Anyone taking Djokovic to an indoor tie-break is worth watching.

How about Kokkinakis?

Not sure of his prospect, but i like Coric. Same with Fritz.


Dimitrov, Raonic, will be all around 25 years by 2016, right? Big4 breached Top4 places as early as 20-22... Not sure what expect from them.

 

[SpinToWin]

He is a good bet. Anyone taking Djokovic to an indoor tie-break is worth watching.

How about Kokkinakis?

Not sure of his prospect, but i like Coric.


Dimitrov, Raonic, will be all around 25 years by 2016, right? Big4 breached Top4 places as early as 20-22... Not sure what expect from them.

Dimitrov is 25 next year in spring/summer, oh my god!
And Raonic is 25 in two days!
Young'uns, where you at?!

I personally hope Kokkinakis does great things and I really hope Coric doesn't, because I dislike the latter's play style.

 

[SpinToWin]

I don't follow Tomic a lot but he is good talent. He can play all shots comfortably and I am hoping for amazing year for him. Tired of big four surely.

Word.

 

[90's Clay]

Dimitrov is 25 next year in spring/summer, oh my god!
And Raonic is 25 in two days!
Young'uns, where you at?!

I personally hope Kokkinakis does great things and I really hope Coric doesn't, because I dislike the latter's play style.

I guess 30-35 are the new young ages in the men's game? Haven't seen a collection of crappy 20 somethings like this ever? Maybe we went from tennis being a game for 20 year olds to a game for being for 28-35 year olds?

 

[Krish872007]

I guess 30-35 are the new young ages in the men's game? Haven't seen a collection of crappy 20 somethings like this ever? Maybe we went from tennis being a game for 20 year olds to a game for being for 28-35 year olds?

Second part is spot on. All a product of this baseline era - young guns simple unable to maintain physical conditioning and lack motivation to keep up with the old guard. That's the only possible explanation for this pathetic excuse of a field.

 

[nolefam_2024]

He is a good bet. Anyone taking Djokovic to an indoor tie-break is worth watching.

How about Kokkinakis?

Not sure of his prospect, but i like Coric. Same with Fritz.


Dimitrov, Raonic, will be all around 25 years by 2016, right? Big4 breached Top4 places as early as 20-22... Not sure what expect from them.

Kokkinakis is big but he don't feel imposing. If he develop bigger serve, then he might be good. Not sure about Coric and Fritz, too young at the moment.

Anyway, I don't think Dimitrov Raonic can be big four like (don't count Kei anyway, lacks weapons). But if they replace old guard for 2+ years, then it will be great.

 

[90's Clay]

Second part is spot on. All a product of this baseline era - young guns simple unable to maintain physical conditioning and lack motivation to keep up with the old guard. That's the only possible explanation for this pathetic excuse of a field.

You would figure early-mid 20 year olds would be more physically potent with quicker reflexes, speed, endurance than late 20s-mid 30 year olds in tennis . Weird..

 

[Krish872007]

You would figure early-mid 20 year olds would be more physically potent with quicker reflexes, speed, endurance than late 20s-mid 30 year olds in tennis . Weird..

On average, yes that should be the case. Might just be that the current crop of younger guys on tour don't match that for various reasons - lifestyle choices, motivation (huge factor!), money/coaching, etc.

 

[Bruno Santiago]

I guess 30-35 are the new young ages in the men's game? Haven't seen a collection of crappy 20 somethings like this ever? Maybe we went from tennis being a game for 20 year olds to a game for being for 28-35 year olds?

those are my thoughts as well...

 

[dadadas]

I'll go with the present world no 2 Murray

 

[Fiero425]

those are my thoughts as well...

This era makes me reminisce about the 70's! Connors and Borg were the young guns, but the rest of the tour had senior citizens in comparison; Laver, Rosewall, Newcombe, Nastase, Ashe, and so many others around 30+! After the youth movement of the 90's, we didn't think it would happen again, but here we are; "30-somethings" hoarding the rankings, tour, and respect! ;-)

 

[Bruno Santiago]

This era makes me reminisce about the 70's! Connors and Borg were the young guns, but the rest of the tour had senior citizens in comparison; Laver, Rosewall, Newcombe, Nastase, Ashe, and so many others around 30+! After the youth movement of the 90's, we didn't think it would happen again, but here we are; "30-somethings" hoarding the rankings, tour, and respect! ;-)

Perfect analysis, 80's with Becker, Wilander, Edberg and then Chang, Agassi, Sampras. The 80's dropped the average age of top10s to something around ~27. That tendence followed in 90's and 00's, with many young players populating Top10.

If we compare 1975-1985-1995-2005-2015 we would get a U skewed like graph. i think 7/10 were under 25 in 1995 and only Agassi was above 30s in 2005, i believe.

With Hewitt, then Nadal, and subsequently Djokovic and Murray (both around 19-21 when they broke into Top4); we really thought the YougGuns had it all. Even Federer was like 20-21 when he entered Top10.

Now, 2015 finishes with Top10 being on average ~30 years old... incredible how times and trends change.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Djoker has not dominated the tour for the "last 5 years," that's a misnomer. He dominated 2011 and 2015. He didn't dominate 2012, 2013 or 2014. Sustained dominance was Fed from 2004-2009. Nadal was never able to dominate for sustained periods either.

Who is most likely to challenge Djoker in 2016? The default answer is Murray, but I don't hold out a lot of hope for him. Lots of people are thinking his DC win will suddenly transform him like it did Nole, but Djoker is by far the superior player, mentally and tactically.

I see Novak declining in 2016 and winning one slam, possibly two. I think the player that can (and will) beat him in slams next year will be Stanimal, but it's really a crap shoot.

 

[Fiero425]

Perfect analysis, 80's with Becker, Wilander, Edberg and then Chang, Agassi, Sampras. The 80's dropped the average age of top10s to something around ~27. That tendence followed in 90's and 00's, with many young players populating Top10.

If we compare 1975-1985-1995-2005-2015 we would get a U skewed like graph. i think 7/10 were under 25 in 1995 and only Agassi was above 30s in 2005, i believe.

With Hewitt, then Nadal, and subsequently Djokovic and Murray (both around 19-21 when they broke into Top4); we really thought the YougGuns had it all. Even Federer was like 20-21 when he entered Top10.

Now, 2015 finishes with Top10 being on average ~30 years old... incredible how times and trends change.

...and repeat! ;-)

 

[Bruno Santiago]

You would figure early-mid 20 year olds would be more physically potent with quicker reflexes, speed, endurance than late 20s-mid 30 year olds in tennis . Weird..

On average, yes that should be the case. Might just be that the current crop of younger guys on tour don't match that for various reasons - lifestyle choices, motivation (huge factor!), money/coaching, etc.

It indeed very intriguing. In many sports, ~25 average athletes have an upper hand over ~30 veterans or ~20 youngsters. but tennis seems to be following a quite different trend.

I know NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL all range between 24-27.Btw, isn't it soccer, swimming, running dominated by 20-25 players, having only few talented veterans around 30s? I know gymnastics u may be old at 20's, but in a general perspective, I'm not aware of a sport having ~30 as average bests.

 

[Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil]

The advantage Djokovic has in this position comparing to what Federer and Nadal had in the past is that all of his main rivals are older than him. Rafa is one year older, Federer is six years older, Stan is two years older, Murray is one week older (just saying, not a big difference).
What is even more interesting and could be a good sign for Novak is that no younger players are looking like dethroning him. Of course, some of them will break through and enter top 10 sooner or later, but none of them seem capable of dethroning Novak off the number 1 spot. Tennis is one of the most unpredictable sports and nobody needs to remind me that nobody expected at the end of 2010 that Djokovic will transform himself into what he has been in the last 5 years. But honestly, I think that even that version of Novak looked more promising than any current youngster. He was a Slam champion, a WTF winner, a multiple Masters winner and a number 2 already. None of the youngsters of today have achieved any of this.
Hard for me to answer this, not just because predicting means nothing, but also because I am a Novak fan. If someone forced me to say what will happen in 2016 though, I would say that Djokovic will hold the number 1 spot for another 52 weeks. Less domination than in 2015, but still strong. Rafa could be his biggest threat but he is not going to transform back to 2013 version. I just don't think it is possible to repeat poor results he had this year, which is why he will be harder to deal with.
Anyway, whoever says with confidence that Federer, Nadal, Murray or Stan will dethrone Novak for whatever reason, then their claims that Novak will decline because he is approaching 29, "the holy year of declining", makes no sense. All other mentioned players are already there.

 

[Fiero425]

Djoker has not dominated the tour for the "last 5 years," that's a misnomer. He dominated 2011 and 2015. He didn't dominate 2012, 2013 or 2014. Sustained dominance was Fed from 2004-2009. Nadal was never able to dominate for sustained periods either.

Who is most likely to challenge Djoker in 2016? The default answer is Murray, but I don't hold out a lot of hope for him. Lots of people are thinking his DC win will suddenly transform him like it did Nole, but Djoker is by far the superior player, mentally and tactically.

I see Novak declining in 2016 and winning one slam, possibly two. I think the player that can (and will) beat him in slams next year will be Stanimal, but it's really a crap shoot.

Wishful thinking, but I think Nole will take that kind of decline; retaining his #1 ranking as well with this subpar effort and results! lol!

 

[90's Clay]

It indeed very intriguing. In many sports, ~25 average athletes have an upper hand over ~30 veterans or ~20 youngsters. but tennis seems to be following a quite different trend.

I know NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL all range between 24-27.Btw, isn't it soccer, swimming, running dominated by 20-25 players, having only few talented veterans around 30s? I know gymnastics u may be old at 20's, but in a general perspective, I'm not aware of a sport having ~30 as average bests.

I guess it could depend on talent level. Michael Jordan for instance was still far and away the better player than anyone in the league in his early-mid 30s

 

[Bruno Santiago]

Djoker has not dominated the tour for the "last 5 years," that's a misnomer. He dominated 2011 and 2015. He didn't dominate 2012, 2013 or 2014. Sustained dominance was Fed from 2004-2009. Nadal was never able to dominate for sustained periods either.

Who is most likely to challenge Djoker in 2016? The default answer is Murray, but I don't hold out a lot of hope for him. Lots of people are thinking his DC win will suddenly transform him like it did Nole, but Djoker is by far the superior player, mentally and tactically.

I see Novak declining in 2016 and winning one slam, possibly two. I think the player that can (and will) beat him in slams next year will be Stanimal, but it's really a crap shoot.

He did***.

Avg ranking points as % of total*:

Federer 2004-2009 - 70.6%
Djokovic 2011-2015 - 72.4%

*Tour14 (4GS+1WTF+9M1000)=100%


Clearly, Djokovic amassed more points than Federer in the given periods.

Additionally, in 2013 when Djokovic was #2, he gathered 66.3% of ranking points. That is more than Federer's 2009 #1 (57.0%) and more than any other player finishing as #2, since 2000.

***The main question states, Dominance in #1 rankings. Following analysis says he dominated more than anyone else over the last 5 years (titles, H2H, rankings); not dominated more than anyone in history.

 

[SpinToWin]

The advantage Djokovic has in this position comparing to what Federer and Nadal had in the past is that all of his main rivals are older than him. Rafa is one year older, Federer is six years older, Stan is two years older, Murray is one week older (just saying, not a big difference).
What is even more interesting and could be a good sign for Novak is that no younger players are looking like dethroning him. Of course, some of them will break through and enter top 10 sooner or later, but none of them seem capable of dethroning Novak off the number 1 spot. Tennis is one of the most unpredictable sports and nobody needs to remind me that nobody expected at the end of 2010 that Djokovic will transform himself into what he has been in the last 5 years. But honestly, I think that even that version of Novak looked more promising than any current youngster. He was a Slam champion, a WTF winner, a multiple Masters winner and a number 2 already. None of the youngsters of today have achieved any of this.
Hard for me to answer this, not just because predicting means nothing, but also because I am a Novak fan. If someone forced me to say what will happen in 2016 though, I would say that Djokovic will hold the number 1 spot for another 52 weeks. Less domination than in 2015, but still strong. Rafa could be his biggest threat but he is not going to transform back to 2013 version. I just don't think it is possible to repeat poor results he had this year, which is why he will be harder to deal with.
Anyway, whoever says with confidence that Federer, Nadal, Murray or Stan will dethrone Novak for whatever reason, then their claims that Novak will decline because he is approaching 29, "the holy year of declining", makes no sense. All other mentioned players are already there.

Good summary. Good times to be a Djokovic fan surely, I just wish the extended top was more competitive and produced more blockbusters.

 

[SpinToWin]

He did***.

Avg ranking points as % of total*:

Federer 2004-2009 - 70.6%
Djokovic 2011-2015 - 72.4%

*Tour14 (4GS+1WTF+9M1000)=100%


Clearly, Djokovic amassed more points than Federer in the given periods.

Additionally, in 2013 when Djokovic was #2, he gathered 66.3% of ranking points. That is more than Federer's 2009 #1 (57.0%) and more than any other player finishing as #2, since 2000.

***The main question states, Dominance in #1 ranking. Following analysis says he dominated more than anyone else over the last 5 years; not dominated more than anyone in history.

Yes and no, it kinda depends what your criteria for domination are. You use ATP points and BeatlesFan likely uses slam titles, but both are valid really.

Besides, the tour has changed in the meantime (Bo5 masters finals became Bo3 for instance), so a 1:1 comparison is hard to make regarding success on the tour.

 

[moonballs]

Looks very unlikely anyone will take over the no 1 ranking from Djokovic in 2016. Someone could grab one or two skams from him though.

 

[kevaninho]

I cant see it happenng anytime soon. We seen a few instances of guys taking Novak close in sets, and looking decent against him for a while ( Anderson in particular ), but he always pulls it off.
The only thing for me is, can he keep up that motivation to keep grinding out matches like at Wimbledon 4R? As he will get challenged again like that , and be in some sticky situations.
Its on his racket though how much he wins .

 

[nolefam_2024]

Yes and no, it kinda depends what your criteria for domination are. You use ATP points and BeatlesFan likely uses slam titles, but both are valid really.

Besides, the tour has changed in the meantime (Bo5 masters finals became Bo3 for instance), so a 1:1 comparison is hard to make regarding success on the tour.

Djokovic in 5 years won 9 slams. Sampras in 5 best consecutive years won 9 slams, Nadal in 5 best years won 8 slams so Djokovic is clearly at least as good as 2 fourteen slam champions and he has other things better than them, slam finals, wtfs and other things.

 

[cockneyDjoker]

As far as consistant challengers and who poses the biggest thread to the world no1 ranking the player i'm worried about the most is murray, slams are different though

Novaks biggest challengers

Australia-Murray and wawrinka
RG- Nadal
Wimbledon- Federer and Murray
Uso- I dont think anyone stands out here could be 4 or 5 players that could challenge novak here.

 

[cockneyDjoker]

I cant see it happenng anytime soon. We seen a few instances of guys taking Novak close in sets, and looking decent against him for a while ( Anderson in particular ), but he always pulls it off.
The only thing for me is, can he keep up that motivation to keep grinding out matches like at Wimbledon 4R? As he will get challenged again like that , and be in some sticky situations.
Its on his racket though how much he wins .

Exactly, I dont think motivation is going to be an issue I think he's already thinking of at least catching Nadal, history is his to make and there's no way he's taking his foot of the pedal

 

[Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil]

Good summary. Good times to be a Djokovic fan surely, I just wish the extended top was more competitive and produced more blockbusters.

Can't complain. Not able to say was it a better feeling back in 2011 when it was a big shock watching him play brilliant tennis or this year when he proved that he can actually keep his level for a much longer time and entered the Tier 1 group of tennis greats.
Luckily past situations other players found themselves in made me take nothing for granted in the future. For sure there are fans that expect him to break all big records that Federer and other greats hold. However I am looking at it step by step, knowing that nothing is certain in the future.
As for competitiveness at the top, I wish we had Del Potro and Soderling fully fit for all these years. Their tennis was entertaining and they were not some who the Big 4 would easily deal with. If Monfils ever discovered consistency he would have also contributed nicely.

 

[SpinToWin]

Djokovic in 5 years won 9 slams. Sampras in 5 best consecutive years won 9 slams, Nadal in 5 best years won 8 slams so Djokovic is clearly at least as good as 2 fourteen slam champions and he has other things better than them, slam finals, wtfs and other things.

I assume you meant "as good as 14 time slam champions in a 5 year time span"?

Can't complain. Not able to say was it a better feeling back in 2011 when it was a big shock watching him play brilliant tennis or this year when he proved that he can actually keep his level for a much longer time and entered the Tier 1 group of tennis greats.
Luckily past situations other players found themselves in made me take nothing for granted in the future. For sure there are fans that expect him to break all big records that Federer and other greats hold. However I am looking at it step by step, knowing that nothing is certain in the future.
As for competitiveness at the top, I wish we had Del Potro and Soderling fully fit for all these years. Their tennis was entertaining and they were not some who the Big 4 would easily deal with. If Monfils ever discovered consistency he would have also contributed nicely.

Ah yes, the big guys are sorely missed.
With Monfils I can't decide… I can't imagine him taking tennis seriously and he's already so amusing/entertaining the way he is haha

 

[Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil]

I assume you meant "as good as 14 time slam champions in a 5 year time span"?

Ah yes, the big guys are sorely missed.
With Monfils I can't decide… I can't imagine him taking tennis seriously and he's already so amusing/entertaining the way he is haha

I think a consistent entertainer would be better than an "occasional" entertainer.

 

[gn]

No one younger to Novak has beaten him since Time Immemorial.
The last time when someone younger to Novak has beaten him was Nishikori in 2014 lawl.
But it is still disheartening to see some posters here insult young-guns.
Show some respect.

Spoiler

 

[Fiero425]

No one younger to Novak has beaten him since Time Immemorial.
The last time when someone younger to Novak has beaten him was Nishikori in 2014 lawl.
But it is still disheartening to see some posters here insult young-guns.
Show some respect.

Respect what; injury prone mental cases that can't seem to finish no matter the lead? In Cinci a few months ago, Dimitrov was up a couple breaks on Murray in the 2nd set and match points in the 3rd, but found a way to lose it! All these guys do it to some extent; hence the limited winners of Masters and majors for the last 10 years! It's almost as embarrassing as the old days with the women when Martina and Chris divvied up the spoils! You expect a little of that with most of the new bloods, but what's going on with the veterans that can't seem to finish when they're up as well? Nadal, Federer, and of course Djokovic own so many of the other top players like Ferrer, Berdych, Tsonga, Gasquet, and Cilic! Another couple years of this and the MEN will official be an embarrassment if someone doesn't break through and take some Masters and at least one Slam! ;-(

 

[SpinToWin]

No one younger to Novak has beaten him since Time Immemorial.
The last time when someone younger to Novak has beaten him was Nishikori in 2014 lawl.
But it is still disheartening to see some posters here insult young-guns.
Show some respect.

Spoiler

How dare you?!… Insulting these weapons of mass destruction by comparing them to these MUGS!

 

[Bruno Santiago]

Respect what; injury prone mental cases that can't seem to finish no matter the lead? In Cinci a few months ago, Dimitrov was up a couple breaks on Murray in the 2nd set and match points in the 3rd, but found a way to lose it! All these guys do it to some extent; hence the limited winners of Masters and majors for the last 10 years! It's almost as embarrassing as the old days with the women when Martina and Chris divvied up the spoils! You expect a little of that with most of the new bloods, but what's going on with the veterans that can't seem to finish when they're up as well? Nadal, Federer, and of course Djokovic own so many of the other top players like Ferrer, Berdych, Tsonga, Gasquet, and Cilic! Another couple years of this and the MEN will official be an embarrassment if someone doesn't break through and take some Masters and at least one Slam! ;-(

Besides, the youngest player to win a Grand Slam, a World Tour Finals and a Master1000 tournament (the 14 most important ITF and ATP trophies) was: Novak Djokovic. He was 19-21.

Since 2007, Big4 won 110/126 of those Tour14 titles. The only players other then these four to have won such tournaments were: Nalbandian, Davydenko, Tsonga, DelPotro, Roddick, Soderling, Ljubicic, Ferrer, Cilic and, of course, Wawrinka. Only Delpo and Cilic are younger (currently, not at the time of their wins) than Novak, and just by 1 year...

 

[Bruno Santiago]

In 2016 it will be: Poille-22, Thiem-23, Tomic-24, Dimitrov-25, Raonic-26 and Kei-27; all inside the year of the age when Federer-23, Nadal-22 and Djokovic-24 finished as world #1.

Considering Big4 entered Top10 with Roger-21, Rafael-19, Novak-20, Andy-21; we have the following players heading to that age in 2016: Taylor Fritz-19, Thannasi Kokkinakis-20, Borna Coric-20 and Nick Kyrgios-21.