And Then There Was One

It's not a secret that I was never a Rafael Nadal fan (as if my constantly calling him "Clay Boy" didn't give it away).  I'm a Roger guy.  Always have been.  As such, I didn't like Rafa (even though the two of them are really good friends).  But I still recognized his brilliance and couldn't help but appreciate this truly exceptional era of three all-time greats, all in their primes, dominating men's tennis for two decades.

This isn't the first time tennis has had a Big Three.  In the 70s, it was Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors.  But what the trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (with Andy Murray briefly making it a Big Four) did is unlike anything the sport has ever seen and may never see again.  They rank first, second and third all-time in Grand Slam titles, all with at least 20, and have 66 between them.  That's 12 1/2 years' worth of Grand Slam trophies!  Plus, three Olympic singles gold medals (and two for Murray).

We knew that the Era of the Big Three would eventually come to an end, and with Nadal officially announcing his retirement, that time has come.  Federer hung it up a few years ago after his body told him that it had enough.  Nadal was injured so often in recent years that you knew it was only a matter of time for him, too.  And this season was very much his farewell tour.  He wanted to play in one last French Open and play in the Olympics (at Roland Garros).  He was able to do both.  And, fittingly, the player he lost to in the Olympics was Djokovic.

When Djokovic burst onto the scene, he was the young guy.  And it took him a few years to break through and truly turn the Roger-Rafa rivalry into a three-way competition.  Djokovic, of course, eventually surpassed both of them.  His 24 Grand Slam titles are the most all-time, and it would be foolish to think he doesn't have at least one more in him.

As the youngest of the three, it was always likely that Djokovic would outlast the other two.  He's also the first to credit Federer and Nadal.  Djokovic has admitted that his path was easier, but he also knows that he wouldn't have become the player that he did without them.  Federer and Nadal would say the exact same thing.  Competing against each other (and trying to beat each other) made all three of them better.

Now, Djokovic is the "old" guy.  He's the veteran.  A last vestige of the Big Three/Four Era as a new generation rises to the top of the rankings.  This year was the first time since 2002 that none of the Big Three won a Grand Slam title.  Instead, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz won two each.  They're the faces of this new generation that can only hope to be as successful as their predecessors.

And that new generation is doing to Djokovic what he once did to Federer and Nadal.  He beat Alcaraz in a truly exceptional Olympic gold medal match, but that's the outlier.  In the last two Wimbledon finals, it was Alcaraz getting the better of Djokovic (including that five-set classic in 2023).  At the Australian Open, a tournament that Djokovic has won 10 times, he lost to Sinner in the semifinals--with the Italian taking full advantage of his youth and speed and taking it to Djokovic.  Expect to see more of that moving forward.

Djokovic lost to Sinner in the final of the ATP's Shanghai Masters tournament on Sunday.  After the match, he was asked about Nadal's retirement and he said, "I still enjoy competing, but part of me left with them."  That's a man who understands that he played an important part in something so special and just how special it was.  That's also a man who understands that things will never be the same again.  Gone are the days of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal trading Grand Slam titles--and usually having to go through each other in the process.

During the prime Big Four Era, 33 Grand Slam finals featured some combination of Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Murray.  The last of those was at the 2020 French Open, when Nadal beat Djokovic.  Djokovic has reached 10 Grand Slam finals since then.  He's faced six different opponents--all from the younger generation.  So, we've already seen him bridge that gap.

But still, Murray and Nadal joining Federer in retirement leaves Djokovic as truly the last man standing.  Time is undefeated, so age is something that will catch up on even the best players eventually.  So, really, we should be grateful that the Big Four Era lasted as long as it did.  We can still be sad to see it end, though.  Even though we knew it would.

Let's not forget the fact that Serena Williams was also their contemporary.  So, tennis fans really have been spoiled by seeing those five absolute legends doing their thing at the same time for an entire generation.  Four of the five are now retired.  Only Djokovic remains.

Even though Djokovic is still capable of playing at an extremely high level as he serves as the bridge between generations, he can't help but feel nostalgic about his rivalries with Federer and Nadal.  After Nadal made his retirement official, Djokovic posted an emotional thank you on Instagram.  They pushed each other to the limit and were both so mentally tough.  They brought out the best in each other.  And, most importantly, they respected each other.  After so many intense matches, how could they not?

Men's tennis will obviously survive.  In fact, there are probably plenty of people who've been waiting for the end of the Big Four Era and the opportunity to actually see somebody else making Grand Slam finals and winning Grand Slam titles.  But even they must have an appreciation for the greatness that was on display for so many years.  Three men with 66 Grand Slam titles and 98 Grand Slam finals between them (fourth place on those lists, by the way, are 14 titles by Pete Sampras and 19 finals by Ivan Lendl, so it's not even close).

Roger Federer, Andy Murray and, now, Rafael Nadal, are all retired.  A new generation led by Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev has taken their place at the top of the sport.  But, across both eras, one thing has remained a constant.  Novak Djokovic.