The Era of the Big Three

Roger Federer is generally considered to be the greatest male tennis player of all time.  At least in terms of Grand Slam titles, he is.  He's currently at 20, and if not for getting outplayed in those three tiebreaks yesterday, he'd be at 21.  Who knows what number he's going to end up with?  But he definitely needs to win at least a few more.  Because the other two members of the Big Three are right on his tail.

Pete Sampras won the 2002 US Open and walked off into the sunset as the all-time record-holder with 14 career Grand Slam titles.  The following year at Wimbledon, Roger Federer won his first Grand Slam title.  And since then, the Big Three have combined to win 54 Grand Slam titles, pushing Sampras into fourth place overall.

The current standings are: 1. Federer (20), 2. Nadal (18), 3. Djokovic (16), 4. Sampras (14).  And I don't think there's anyone who believes the Big Three are done adding to their respective collections.  

There is, after all a French Open every year, and Clay Boy doesn't let anyone else win that, while Djokovic will always be the favorite at the two hard court Slams and Roger has a special relationship with Centre Court at Wimbledon.  It's not a stretch to think all three of them will end up in the 20s.  That 24 Serena's been chasing for two years could even be approached (although I think she'll end up surpassing that number).

When all is said and done, we might be talking about Novak Djokovic as the greatest player of all time.  Because it looks like he's going to sail past both Roger and Rafa.  And consider the head start that Federer and Nadal had.  Djokovic didn't win his first Grand Slam until the 2008 Australian Open and didn't win his second until three years later.  From 2003-10, Federer won 16 of his 20 Grand Slams and Nadal won nine of his 18.  Since 2011, it's Djokovic 15, Nadal 9, Federer 4.

But when you think about the three of them as a whole and consider the fact that they're all contemporaries, it's pretty remarkable.  And I don't think it's a stretch to call this the greatest era in the history of men's tennis.

Now, I do understand that the Grand Slam totals of the Big Three are somewhat inflated because of the Australian Open.  Until the late 80s, the Australian Open was held around Christmastime, so a lot of players would skip it.  John McEnroe only played the Australian five times (and reached the semifinals in 1983).  Jimmy Connors only played in 1974 (when he won) and 1975 (when he made the final).  Bjorn Borg only played it once in his entire career.  

Roy Emerson, meanwhile, the player whose record Sampras broke, is Australian, and won six of his 12 Grand Slam titles at his home tournament (he won the others twice each).  He made the final seven straight years from 1961-67, when the field consisted almost exclusively of Aussies.

So the comparison is a little bit skewed.  If everybody played the Australian Open back then like they do today, Connors, Borg and McEnroe would likely have more Grand Slam titles, while Emerson would probably have fewer.  But regardless, what we've been privileged to witness over the last 15 years with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic is something pretty special.

For a while, we kept wondering when that challenger to the Big Three was going to emerge.  Yes, it was a Big Four while Andy Murray was still healthy enough to play singles (here's hoping he can again soon), and Stan Wawrinka has managed to snag a few Grand Slam titles.  But, by and large, that challenger never arrived.

And you also have to think how many Slams other players might've won if not for the Big Three, which is another testament to their greatness.  Andy Roddick's only Grand Slam title came at the 2003 US Open.  He probably would've won Wimbledon at least once if he hadn't had to face Federer in his prime every time he got to the final.  Same with every clay court player.  The best anyone can hope for in Paris is losing to Nadal in the final.

Instead, we're wondering how long their greatness is going to last.  They've been going strong as a threesome for more than a decade, and this era is definitely winding down.  Federer turns 38 next month and doesn't figure to play much longer.  Nadal, meanwhile, plays with such a hard, heavy-hitting style that he's frequently injured, which will probably be what forces him to eventually call it quits.  Djokovic is the youngest of the three, so you figure he's got the most amount of time left (another reason I think he'll finish on top).

That day is coming.  Probably soon.  We will start seeing other players win Grand Slam titles.  Not because they're beating the Big Three, but because they aren't around anymore.  Until that time, though, let's enjoy what we've got in front of us.  Because the consistent, collective dominance these three guys have displayed for so long really is awe-inspiring.

In the 70s, it was Connors, Borg and McEnroe.  In the 80s, it was Becker, Edberg and Lendl.  Then there were the three Americans--Sampras, Agassi and Courier--in the early 90s.  But none of those eras were as great as the one we're living in now.  The Era of the Big Three.