End of an era?

[Danny_G13]

With Nadal struggling with a semi-permanent injury, Federer showing plenty of signs of being in the twilight of his career and Djokovic not having won a slam since January, is this finally, slowly, lingeringly the drawn-out end of the slam era which saw those 3 completely dominating the big events?

Or 'will they be back'?

With Murray starting to put serious pressure on, and Berdych, Ferrer and Del Potro showing form, is the landscape about to shift?

 

[darkniz]

It's honestly very hard to say. Federer had a really bad match. For all we know, he could easily return to form again. Nadal could also come back once his knee heals. I'm not sure about Djokovic, though. His form this year has been strange to say the least. Any of the top four can still dominate. If Federer and Nadal go, it will be between Djokovic and Murray to dominate in the years to come.

 

[Vcore89]

Let's suppose it is the case, I think the viewership would also go down drastically if say any winner of the next slams come out of the blue winning just one and never to be relevant again. That is not good for tennis, for sure.

 

[TennisLovaLova]

Let's talk about this after this year's WTF.
But we're clearly looking now at how the tour would look like when the fedal will be gone

 

[Vcore89]

In the meantime, **** and FART war goes on.

 

[UKTennis]

Djokovic not winning a slam since January is supposed to mean he is finished?! It's practically impossible to tell with Federer. He may now struggle to reach Grand Slam semi's and retire in a year or two, or he may do a Agassi. Either is a possibility. At his age though, it's virtually impossible to have winning runs at every Slam, so we can expect defeats like this with him. Nadal will win at least two more on clay, and perhaps another couple of other surfaces as well. Djokovic has plenty of slams left.

 

[Bobby Jr]

"Federer showing plenty of signs of being in the twilight of his career..."

He's holder of the Wimbledon title, the WTF, four Masters 1000 titles and an Olympic silver medal.

Not to mention completely pwning the man who ruled 2011 the last two times they played - one of which included a bagel set.

This is his twilight? Darn, harsh critic over here.

 

[motrengaw]

To me Djokovic is still the best player overall. I think the only major Federer can still win is Wimbledon and the only major Nadal might be able to win is the French

 

[rafan]

Well someone has to come along. I mean we thought Tomic would be up and coming but he has slipped by the wayside. The top three cannot dominate for much longer but I can't see anyone apart from Del Potro. Have my doubts about Raonic as I always do by these big servers

 

[Zarfot Z]

The answer is no. These guys wil continue dominating for a good 2-3 more years. They're that good.

 

[Danny_G13]

"Federer showing plenty of signs of being in the twilight of his career..."

He's holder of the Wimbledon title, the WTF, four Masters 1000 titles and an Olympic silver medal.

Not to mention completely pwning the man who ruled 2011 the last two times they played - one of which included a bagel set.

This is his twilight? Darn, harsh critic over here.

He also lost to Murray in the OG final, lost to Berdych yesterday, and hadn't actually won a slam for 2 years prior to Wimbledon.

I'm unsure if he's quite what he was. He's still great, just not AS great. His unforced error count has certainly gone WAY up, that's for sure.

 

[90's Clay]

Its gonna have more to do with the other guys (Murray, Del Potro, Berdych etc) then it will the top 3. For whatever reason the rest of the field can't bring it all together totally.. You will see a match like last night where Berdych completely abuses Roger... Then its back to mediocrity for Berdych for the next 6 months where he can't even make it out of the first round.

 

[Satch]

With Nadal struggling with a semi-permanent injury, Federer showing plenty of signs of being in the twilight of his career and Djokovic not having won a slam since January, is this finally, slowly, lingeringly the drawn-out end of the slam era which saw those 3 completely dominating the big events?

Or 'will they be back'?

With Murray starting to put serious pressure on, and Berdych, Ferrer and Del Potro showing form, is the landscape about to shift?

the answer is no.

 

[Danny_G13]

the answer is no.

I like how quickly you get to the point.

 

[Danny_G13]

Its gonna have more to do with the other guys (Murray, Del Potro, Berdych etc) then it will the top 3. For whatever reason the rest of the field can't bring it all together totally.. You will see a match like last night where Berdych completely abuses Roger... Then its back to mediocrity for Berdych for the next 6 months where he can't even make it out of the first round.

So are you actually saying the Murrays, Del Potros, Ferrers etc aren't actually inferior to Nadal, Djokovic and Federer and it is all purely down to consistency? And mental strength?

And if it was purely about raw ability the top 10 or so would be pretty much level par with each other?

 

[NadalAgassi]

With Nadal struggling with a semi-permanent injury, Federer showing plenty of signs of being in the twilight of his career and Djokovic not having won a slam since January, is this finally, slowly, lingeringly the drawn-out end of the slam era which saw those 3 completely dominating the big events?

Or 'will they be back'?

With Murray starting to put serious pressure on, and Berdych, Ferrer and Del Potro showing form, is the landscape about to shift?

Lets talk when someone other than those 3 wins a slam which happened once way back in 2009, and before that happened once way back in January 2005. Heck lets wait until 2 or 3 slams in a row are not won by that trio, considering the other two times proved to be mere blips in the midst of the tidal wave of dominance of those three. Until then the era is not even close to ending.

Berdych is older than Nadal or Djokovic. Ferrer is almost as old as Federer. If the landscape at the very top changes those wont be the guys doing it.

 

[darkniz]

The only difference between the top 3 and the rest is indeed consistency and mental strength. The top 3 believes that they can beat anyone, anytime. The others quickly lose hope once they're down. They all play well, but it's those who constantly play well who become the world's greatest...

 

[monfed]

I can't see Fed winning anymore slams tbh coz quite frankly the slam surfaces today just don't suit his style. I mean AO is nightmarish slow, RG is..well clay,Wimby(movement on grass is just horrid these days) and USO is slowish. If a slam played like Cinci then he'd always be a contender.

Maybe one last slam with a kind draw for a nice round number 18, but how I'd wish he gets to 20. Would be so fitting, the GOAT(atleast in my book) getting to 20 slams. Would be a great advertisement for our sport.

 

[pvaudio]

I can't see Fed winning anymore slams tbh coz quite frankly the slam surfaces today just don't suit his style. I mean AO is nightmarish slow, RG is..well clay,Wimby(movement on grass is just horrid these days) and USO is slowish. If a slam played like Cinci then he'd always be a contender.

People said this ******** for the past two years and then oh wait! He won Wimbledon.

 

[BigServer1]

I think Nadal has a real shot to come back and dominate if he's healthy.

Federer is 31, and far less consistent than he was in his prime. He's way more susceptible to a bad match now. Last night Berdych was just better, but Federer wasn't able to bring it enough to match his level...That's something that won't get better with age.

 

[roberttennis54]

I think Nadal has a real shot to come back and dominate if he's healthy.

Federer is 31, and far less consistent than he was in his prime. He's way more susceptible to a bad match now. Last night Berdych was just better, but Federer wasn't able to bring it enough to match his level...That's something that won't get better with age.

It's not the end of the Djokovic, Nadal and Murray era, but there time is running out. I think they maybe have 2 years at most being at the top.

However, this US Open was the end of the Federer, Safin, Hewitt, Roddick etc generation. Roddick's retirement and Federer's earliest loss since 03 pretty much cemented this.

 

[NadalAgassi]

It's not the end of the Djokovic, Nadal and Murray era, but there time is running out. I think they maybe have 2 years at most being at the top.

However, this US Open was the end of the Federer, Safin, Hewitt, Roddick etc generation. Roddick's retirement and Federer's earliest loss since 03 pretty much cemented this.

What do you think we will enter into after the Djokovic, Nadal, and Murray era though. I think it will last longer than 2 years, even if Nadal breaks down for good, I would see Djokovic, Murray, and maybe Del Potro taking the reigns for a number of years. Sorry I just dont see anyone else ready to take over in just 2 years, or for alot longer than that.

 

[monfed]

People said this ******** for the past two years and then oh wait! He won Wimbledon.

True,that's sport and I love how Roger proves the detractors wrong time n again. But one day it's gonna come to an end,what then?

I mean this was arguably Roger's best chance to win USO post-prime(atleast confidence wise)but he played a stinker against TBerd.
Oh well,what can you do?

 

[roberttennis54]

What do you think we will enter into after the Djokovic, Nadal, and Murray era though. I think it will last longer than 2 years, even if Nadal breaks down for good, I would see Djokovic, Murray, and maybe Del Potro taking the reigns for a number of years. Sorry I just dont see anyone else ready to take over in just 2 years, or for alot longer than that.

I think Nadal may be done for good. Murray still has to break through and win a slam. It's not going to get any easier. The generation coming up is not very promising, but I see a period coming up where there are several different slam winners. Djokovic will be the out and out world no 1, but I see different guys breaking through and winning slams.

Del Potro is an interesting one. He is just too big and heavy for tennis. I don't trust him to ever be fit. However, if he can peak at the right times he can take a few slams.

 

[-RF-]

This is sad, like the end of a party. Once, all 4 were in the room, all enjoying themselves and in their peak, and now in the next 2 or so years we'll see Federer leave the room. Nadal will too leave, leaving Djokovic and Murray behind, and after maybe 3 years, the top 4 will have left the dancefloor, waiting for the next generation.

 

[NadalAgassi]

I think Nadal may be done for good. Murray still has to break through and win a slam. It's not going to get any easier. The generation coming up is not very promising, but I see a period coming up where there are several different slam winners. Djokovic will be the out and out world no 1, but I see different guys breaking through and winning slams.

Del Potro is an interesting one. He is just too big and heavy for tennis. I don't trust him to ever be fit. However, if he can peak at the right times he can take a few slams.

Obviously I hope you are wrong about Nadal, but I fear you could be right. Next year will tell us alot. Interesting thoughts on the rest especialy Del Potro. I think you are right on him, I cant see him ever getting to #1, but could see him maybe winning another couple slams if things break right. So do you see middle aged/older players who havent broken through yet like Berdych, Tsonga, winning a slam during this proposed open period.

I dont see the Raonic or Tomic generation ever doing much. Maybe Raonic winning a slam or two if he is lucky. Increasingly doubt Tomic ever winning one, and the rest just make me laugh. I think the generation to come after that might be the one to take over at some point, but definitely not the Raonic one.

 

[roberttennis54]

Obviously I hope you are wrong about Nadal, but I fear you could be right. Next year will tell us alot. Interesting thoughts on the rest especialy Del Potro. I think you are right on him, I cant see him ever getting to #1, but could see him maybe winning another couple slams if things break right. So do you see middle aged/older players who havent broken through yet like Berdych, Tsonga, winning a slam during this proposed open period.

I dont see the Raonic or Tomic generation ever doing much. Maybe Raonic winning a slam or two if he is lucky. Increasingly doubt Tomic ever winning one, and the rest just make me laugh. I think the generation to come after that might be the one to take over at some point, but definitely not the Raonic one.

I could be wrong about Nadal, but just cannot see him at 26/27 being the same force. With just Djokovic to beat I think it will give the middle aged guys even more confidence. Yeh I see something similar to what happened in the WTA with the likes of Na Li, Stosur, Schiavone etc breaking through to take slams.

I think it's too early to pass judgement on Tomic. He is still just 19, but he his work ethic does not seem to be good. If he can change then who knows. He needs to improve his serve. He is 6,4 or so and needs to use his height. I remember Del Potro when he first came had an awful serve for a big guy. He improved it greatly and think that was the key to him becoming a serious threat.