Ageless wonders, timeless rivalries
One of the great unanswered sporting questions was answered in an emphatic manner on Sunday. How long can the ‘Big Three’ continue to mop up at the awards ceremonies of tennis Slams? Looking at the way Rafael Nadal decimated Novak Djokovic, who in turn did likewise to the overall field in 2020, their domination will definitely extend to next year and probably beyond.
The numbers make for staggering reading. The only new men’s Slam champions since the start of 2010 have been Stan Wawrinka, Andy Murray, Marin Cilic and Dominic Thiem. Throw in a well-rested Roger Federer who will be back next year and it’s highly possible that three of the greatest names of men’s tennis will stick around for a bit more. To put things in perspective, there have been 18 new winners in the women’s section in the same time frame, including two this year alone.
There is longevity and then there is this. Age has long stopped becoming a barrier thanks to advancement in sports science but what Nadal, 34, and Djokovic, 33, are continuing to do in the sport is surreal. There is a tinge of truth when people say that the next generation isn’t good enough but that doesn’t acknowledge the determination of the ‘Big Three’ to stay relevant.
Moving to the central part of the narrative that’s now part of the men’s tennis ecosystem—the ‘Greatest of All Time’ debate—it’s highly likely that both Nadal and Djokovic will go past 20 Slams in the next few years. Federer, who will turn 40 by the next US Open, still believes he has a chance of doing so too. His congratulatory note to Nadal indicated that as much. “I hope 20 is just another step on the continuing journey for both of us,” he wrote.
Even if they aren’t getting any younger, that prophecy could be right—because, as of this moment in time, they, along with Djokovic, whose first loss of the year came against the Spaniard on Sunday, continue to remain the sport’s figureheads. There have been numerous debates surrounding the Federer-Nadal rivalry—with words like elegance, beauty, power, retrieving ability, supreme fitness, etc., punctuating the discourse. Whatever it be, it’s true that the beauty of sport cannot be crunched into numbers.