(PHOTO CREDITS: ALEX BOYDEN)
By: Ari Litinski
This year’s U.S. Open has undoubtedly been one of the most unpredictable grand slams in the history of tennis. Despite Carlos Alcaraz [#3] losing to Botic van de Zandschulp [#74] in the second round, one of the biggest upsets in US Open history, most tennis enthusiasts are more focused on the upset of Novak Djokovic. After an outstanding performance from Alexei Popyrin, the world number 28, Djokovic left the US Open in the third round despite winning the tournament last year.
Earlier this year, Novak had “completed tennis” by claiming the only title he was yet to achieve: an Olympic gold medal. With this victory, many tennis fans are now calling Djokovic the undisputed “G.O.A.T.” of tennis and the best out of the Big 3. The Big 3 is a name used when talking about the three players that have dominated the tennis world for more than two decades. It consists of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and last but certainly not least, Novak Djokovic.
While Djokovic’s exit in the third round of the U.S. Open was already disappointing enough for the tennis community, a mind-blowing statistic immediately added to the frustration. According to the United States News & World Report, 2024 is the first year since 2002 without a grand slam title for at least one of the Big 3. This sparked conversation about a topic that no tennis fan would ever want to talk about: the end of the Big 3 era.
It is important to note that none of the Big 3 are currently in great shape. Roger Federer retired from the game of tennis in 2022 and Rafael Nadal is currently preparing to play his final event before retirement — the Laver Cup. Since two out of the Big 3 are permanently out of grand-slam-winning shape, the pressure lies on Novak Djokovic to prolong the legacy of the three greats.
Although the end of this long era may seem depressing, the game of tennis is still in good hands. Young players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are just getting started on the ATP tour despite already winning 4 grand-slams. I believe that while it may be impossible to predict “the next Big 3”, one can look at these two young tennis phenoms and rest assured that their careers will end up being just as if not more impressive than those of the Big 3.
It is important to take the careers of Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic and learn from them. For instance, Djokovic didn’t enter the Big 3 overnight. Nadal and Federer were ruling the tennis world for quite a while until some young kid came out and said “I am going to beat both Nadal and Federer.” Everyone laughed at the young tennis player for being incredibly cocky until he went and actually beat both Rafael and Roger. All of the Big 3’s careers were formed on the same belief: “Whatever you believe, you can achieve.”
Scribemen Magazine 