By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday August 12, 2021
For the first time since 2001, Masters events in Canada and Cincinnati will be played without the Big 3—Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal—in attendance. It certainly doesn’t signal the end of an era—yet—but it is another grim reminder of how close the setting sun of this era of men’s tennis has come to the horizon.
Yes, Novak Djokovic is in incredible form and probably will be for years, but Roger Federer, now 40, is on the cusp of retirement, and Rafael Nadal, 35, is once again struggling with injuries and will may miss the US Open.
So what should we make of it? Federer (20), Djokovic (20) and Nadal (20) have remarkably combined to win 60 of the last 72 Grand Slam singles titles since Wimbledon in 2003, but the next decade of major events will certainly be more wide open.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is sentimental about the legends of the game, but at the same time he sees it as an opportunity.
“Obviously, let's accept it, because it's a fact—it's true—they bring a lot of fans to the courts, and they are also the reason why people come and watch these big events,” he said of the Big 3. “Also, they are a big part of, you know, tennis being where it is now.”
But Tsitsipas believes that now is the time for young guns to step in and capture the hearts of tennis fans. There is a golden opportunity at Toronto and Cincinnati for starts to make an impression on legions of tennis fans who may be watching to simply scout the competition.
“I think there is room for new stars,” he said. “You know, it's been a lot about them in recent years, and I think now it's showing that, you know, things are changing. Things are kind of -- we see kind of different generation of players stepping up and showing what they are capable of. So it's interesting to have this kind of variation and change of thrones, let's call it. It's interesting for our game.”
Tsitsipas says that he and other players of the ATP’s generation next have already made strides.
“We, ourselves, we have generated our own team of people and fans that support us, give us love, and are there for us in each single match following us. We want to do as good as they have done so far. We obviously have a lot of respect, and that's not only coming from me but also from, I'm pretty sure, from other younger players in that category. We do have a lot of respect. We grew up watching them, and I think we are thrilled to be competing against them and against them now in this kind of period of time.”
Tiafoe: The Guard is Going to Change Soon
Frances Tiafoe, who was topped by Gael Monfils in the round of 16 on Thursday in Toronto, sees it the same way as Tsitsipas. It’s a bummer that the Big 3 won’t be in action over the next two weeks, but it’s also a chance for him to make a move.
“Obviously you never want to see that, but, I mean, the guard is going to change soon,” he said. “Obviously these guys, time is of essence now obviously.”
Tiafoe says that the change has been happening for a while now, and it’s bound to continue.
“You already see Tsitsipas playing great, Medvedev obviously been doing his thing, Zverev winning the Olympics,” he said. “The guard is definitely changing. It's a matter of who's going to take it. It's going to be an open field a little bit.”
Tiafoe himself has made some waves recently. He has defeated Tsitsipas and Shapovalov this summer, showing that he may be ready to make a push for elite status.
“There are a lot of good players but nobody who is so great that can't be beaten, right, out of this crop,” he said. “Me beating Stefanos at Wimbledon, depth of tennis, a lot of guys can play well on any given day. I think it's good for the sport. See some new faces, kind of have the game, you know, new personalities, new changing of the guard. We'll see who takes it. I think it's an open field. Anybody can put it together, honestly.”