The end of a great era

American greats Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi carried the torch with great gusto in the 1990s and early 2000s before the ‘Big Three’ comprising Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic decided to take the sport to never-before-seen heights over the last two decades.

Bengaluru: In just about a month from now, the greatest era in men’s tennis will come to a near conclusion when Rafael Nadal bids adieu to the sport at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga (November 19-24), leaving his great rival Novak Djokovic as the lone surviving member of the exalted “Big Three” and with an arduous task of carrying forward the glorious legacy that is fading fast.

Tennis, one of a handful of true global sports due to its popularity from Tokyo in the east to California in the west, has several eras that have played a key role in defining it. First, it was Rod Laver, Ken Rosewell and Don Budge who defined the Amateur Era (pre-1968) before Laver joined hands with Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors to usher tennis into the Open Era in the 1970s when the sport began allowing professionals to compete in Grand Slams.

As tennis gained in traction, it migrated to the serve and volley era in the 1980s and early 90s with John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl and Boris Becker dishing out several riveting battles that is still enjoyed by the connoisseurs. American greats Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi then carried the torch with great gusto in the 1990s and early 2000s before the ‘Big Three’ comprising Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic decided to take the sport to never-before-seen heights over the last two decades.

The sheer accomplishments of the trio may just be impossible to replicate in the future although improved sports science and training methods allow players to elongate careers beyond mid-30s which was once considered the retirement age.

Federer, the first of the Holy Trinity, led the way by winning a mind-boggling 20 Grand Slams, raising the bar of 14 set by his idol Sampras to a whole new level. Nadal, who considered rival-cum-friend Federer as the benchmark, went a couple of notches higher by winning 22 Slams. Djokovic, whose life goal was always to be better than Nadal and Federer, is going around with 24 Slams. Sixty-six Slams as an entity… the current generation stars Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev and the future will need to play some extraordinary tennis to even come close to that feat.

The era of the “Big Three” was first lit up by the fascinating rivalry between Federer and Nadal. When the duo met for the first time at the Miami Masters in March 2004, Federer was on top of the world rankings, a two-time major winner and a star in the making while Nadal was just a hungry 17-year-old who was beginning to capture the imagination of the tennis world. Nadal bossed that encounter, winning 6-3, 6-3 in just 70 minutes, setting the stage for several epics between the two whose playing styles were as different as chalk and cheese.

Federer was the aristocrat, his forehand as elegant as his attire and appearance, and the one-handed backhand a thing of rare pure beauty like the expensive Swiss watch he wears. When he moved and swung his racquet without breaking a drop of sweat, it was a genius at work. He just made the brutal sport where one is completely on his own when on court look so easy. Tennis never looked so comfortable when Federer played, the Swiss inspiring several kids to pursue it.

Nadal was just the opposite of Federer. A natural right-hander who switched to left-handed style as a child on his coach and uncle Toni Nadal’s insistence, Nadal was like a bull on a rampage when on the court. With his sleeveless vests and bulging biceps, Nadal bullied his opponents with his booming top-spin heavy forehands. And when he wasn’t playing those punishing forehands, he was chasing balls all over the court, rarely letting anything pass him. He wasn’t blessed with a graceful game like Federer and played a vast majority of his career battling several debilitating injuries but the Spaniard fought it all like a warrior, exemplifying the virtue of “never say die” spirit.

Both Federer and Nadal had their own theatre, and they strode out like a colossus. While Federer won the coveted Wimbledon a record eight times, Nadal lorded the French Open like none other, triumphing on the Parisian clay a record 14 times. Not just at Roland Garros where he lost just thrice in 115 appearances prior to this season, Nadal was an unshakable force on clay, conjuring 474 wins against 45 losses for a win percentage of 91.3. During the peak of powers, he posted 81 consecutive wins on red dirt between April 2005 and May 2007, all of which earned him the title “King of Clay.”

Watching Federer and Nadal cause havoc with the statistics that saw critics and fans constantly debate about who is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) is, forced Djokovic to discover the inner beast that has seen him best the duo in terms of Slams triumphs. A highly controversial character unlike the clean-cut Federer and Nadal, Djokovic seemingly lacked the drive during his early years but once he tasted his maiden Slam success at the Australian Open in 2008, he just became a different beast.

Often using the after-effects of the Balkan war as an inspiration, the Serbian made beating Nadal and Federer his life mission and usurping them as the ultimate goal. He ended up doing so, leading Nadal 31-29 and Federer 27-23 in head-to-head records. Djokovic has also spent a record 398 weeks as World No. 1, ensuring that even though he’s not loved and admired by fans as much as Federer and Nadal, he truly is the rightful claimant to the GOAT title.

Djokovic, 37 years old, has vowed to continue despite Nadal and Andy Murray hanging up their boots this year. His body is also battered and for the first time in the ‘Big Three’ era no member of it were able to win a Slam this season with Alcaraz and Sinner sharing the honours with two each. Djokovic showed the fire still burns bright in him when he won the elusive Olympic gold at Paris in August but losses to Alcaraz in the finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon and Sinner in the Shanghai Masters recently proved the young blood is ready to take over.

The 21-year-old Alcaraz became the youngest World No. 1 at the age of 19 in 2022 and he has been growing steadily ever since, showing the same fighting qualities that Nadal exhibited. Unlike his compatriot, his game looks more suited for all surfaces and barring injuries, looks primed to dominate. So does the current World No. 1 Sinner (23 years), who has put behind controversies in winning the US Open and Shanghai Masters. The duo will be looking to carry forward a great legacy that’ll be hard to match, let alone surpass it.