BENGALURU, Sept 10 (Askume) – An epic Grand Slam season dominated by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz gave clear indications that the era of the “Big Three” in men’s tennis is finally over , with Novak Djokovic now set to become the player to be ranked as the No.
The golden rule of never underestimating Djokovic still applies, but he, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have won at least one Grand Slam title every season since 2003, but no one is without a Grand Slam title this year.
Sinner won the US Open title on Sunday following her success at the Australian Open in January, while Alcaraz won Roland Garros and Wimbledon , the first time since 1993 that someone aged 23 or younger had won a Grand Slam.
“It’s definitely a little different. It’s something new, but it’s also nice to see,” said Sinner, who helped usher in a new era by overcoming the devastation caused by the doping controversy .
“It’s good to see new champions. It’s good to see new competition. I think it’s good for the sport to have some new champions.”
The extraordinary dominance of the “Big Three” has seen them win 66 of the 81 Grand Slam tournaments, from Federer’s first Wimbledon title in 2003 to Djokovic’s 24th Grand Slam crown at Flushing Meadows last year.
With Federer retiring and Nadal injured, Djokovic single-handedly led the younger generation to win three of the four majors in 2023 and finish the year-end No. 1 for a record eighth time.
This year, Djokovic has endured a disappointing season at the Grand Slams by his high standards, starting with a semi-final loss to Sinner at Melbourne Park and ending with an injury in the French Open quarter-finals.
After losing to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, he suffered a shock defeat to Alexei Popyrin in the third round of the US Open, withdrawing from a major tournament for the first time since an injury-plagued 2017 season.
However, he miraculously defeated younger opponents, including Alcaraz, in the final of the Paris Olympics to win the gold medal he yearned for.
“Looking at the bigger picture, I definitely have to be satisfied,” Djokovic said after withdrawing from the US Open.
“It’s hard to see the bigger picture at the moment. You get angry and frustrated with the way you’re losing and the way you’re playing. But tomorrow is a new day. I’ll definitely think about what to do next.”
Mission Impossible
Djokovic, who will turn 37 in May, is past the age when anyone can win a Grand Slam title, and finishing the season at the top of the rankings at the end of his career seems an impossible task.
Djokovic finished ninth at the season finale in Turin – where the rankings so far this year are the benchmark for the battle for top spot – and is unlikely to make much headway in the Asian swing that begins this month.
For someone who has always had a deep respect for the history of the game, the more important goal may be breaking Margaret Court’s record and winning her 25th Grand Slam.
This scenario seemed more likely at January’s Australian Open, where Djokovic won the trophy for a record 10 times in 19 matches.
“You never want to rule him out,” seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe told Eurosport.
“This is definitely the first time you can seriously say you’re starting to doubt whether he can win a (Grand Slam) title again.
“Whatever happens, I’ll be surprised. If he doesn’t win, you’ll say ‘Wow, last year he won three out of four and now we’re saying he’ll never win again.'”
“I’d be surprised if he did because he’s so big. After a while, you get the hang of it and you let some of the fear out of some people a little bit.”
