It always feels a little strange using the term ‘Big Three.’ It’s as if we’ve dismissed the accomplishments of Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, each of whom has won three Grand Slam titles. But there’s no arguing the golden-era dominance of Messrs. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, who with 20, 18 and 16 majors, respectively, have surely separated themselves from the pack.
As we kick off the 2019 US Open, these thirtysomethings—who have accounted for the past 11 Slams and 54 of 65, dating back to 2003—are yet again among the favorites.
“I do think it will be one of the three,” said ESPN’s John McEnroe, a four-time US Open champion. “These guys are the three greatest that ever played the game. We have to enjoy that, appreciate that. These guys are even more difficult to beat when the chips are down, when it’s best-of-five. They just understand what it takes better than these other players. They’ve got the talent to back it up.”
That’s not to say someone like Dominic Thiem, fast-rising Russian Daniil Medvedev (who recently captured his maiden Masters 1000 trophy in Cincinnati), the enigmatic Nick Kyrgios or upstarts like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex de Minaur, Felix Auguer-Aliassime or Denis Shapovalov, can’t break through and shake things up. But it won’t come easy.
“It's a tall order for any of these guys,” McEnroe continued. “You have to beat, potentially, at least two of them, in some cases three of them. That’s seemingly almost impossible to do. Perhaps with a little bit of luck something happens where a draw opens up. They’re human. At some stage, they’re going to start losing more. You’ve seen that. Roger was out for six months. Rafa has been in and out. He defaulted in the [US Open] semis last year. Novak had a couple of years where he didn’t seem like the same guy. Now he’s back with a vengeance.”
So much is made of the ever-increasing physicality of the sport, the advancements in technology, in training. But it may be the mental game that makes this trio—Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the ATP Rankings—so special.
“Look how calm Roger keeps himself in tense situations,” said McEnroe. “That’s a talent. You save energy, don’t waste energy. Rafa seems to have boundless energy. Guess what, he’s training as hard or harder than anyone. Novak has a combination of what the other two have. On the court, the stress that can cause fatigue, is the thing that a lot of kids discover when they’re faced with difficult situations. All of a sudden, they can’t figure out why they’re tired. They have to understand the mental part of it. This is a big part of what you need to do in order to get over the hump.”
Big Three? Yep, that sounds about right.
