By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday December 13, 2022

 

With Roger Federer out of the mix it will be up to Nadal and Djokovic to hold down the Grand Slam fort for the Big Three in 2023.

Photo Source: Getty

With the 2022 tennis season done and dusted and in the rearview, Tennis Now is circling back to bask in the glory of what was a truly phenomenal tennis season.



Today we take a closer look at the Grand Slam men’s singles title race…

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2022 will forever be remembered as the year that Roger Federer was left behind. Not only did the legendary Swiss call it a career, he was also passed by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokokovic in the all-time men’s singles Grand Slam titles list.

That leaves the current count as follows:

Rafael Nadal - 22 major titles
Novak Djokovic - 21 major titles
Roger Federer - 20 major titles

Nadal and Djokovic combined to win three of the four major titles on offer in 2022, with Carlos Alcaraz picking up the fourth. As much as tennis seems to be undergoing sweeping seachange with Federer retired and Nadal and Djokovic both beyond the age of 35, it’s remarkable that the Big Three still finds ways to take home the lion’s share of Slam titles.

The trio have combined to win 63 of the 77 Grand Slam singles titles that have been claimed since Federer won his first Wimbledon title in 2003.

Can they possibly keep up the pace in 2023?

Djokovic returning to the Australian Open and the US Open will certainly make a big difference. The Big Three might have won all four majors in 2022 had it not been for the fact that Djokovic was forbidden to enter the United States to participate in the US Open.

This year he’ll be back at full throttle, and the onus will be on the competition to remind him that he is 35 going on 36 and not supposed to be a world-beating force on tour at that age.

Working in Djokovic’s favor is the fact that he didn’t put too many miles on his body in 2022 because of the fact that he was banned from so many events due to his decision to remain unvaccinated. Could he actually benefit from the extra rest and be even better next season?

It’s possible, and some would say probable, given the way Djokovic finished his 2022 campaign, winning a record sixth ATP Finals title without losing a single match.

His older rival – Nadal will turn 37 at Roland-Garros in 2023 – may face more difficulties. Nadal suffered from myriad injuries in 2022 and limped to the finish line after soaring out of the gates to win his 21st and 22nd major titles at the Australian Open and Roland-Garros.

Nadal will be targeting a 15th Roland-Garros title, no doubt, and much of his energy will be funneled in that direction. It’s hard to imagine him repeating in Australia now that Djokovic is back, but haven’t we counted Nadal out too many times in the past, only to watch him surprise us with his ability to recuperate, rejuvenate and dominate?

Bottom line? 2022 was the year that Roger Federer lost his grip on the all-time men’s singles Grand Slam titles list, but the race is far from run.

Nadal has the lead but Djokovic is hungry and eager to push him to the brink as a new season nears…

Throw in Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime and other players on the rise, and another race comes into focus. For Nadal and Djokovic it’s a race against time, for every step that they lose as they age, will be a step gained for the younger competition.