Fans who took the walk from the Mets-Willets Point station, across the boardwalk to the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, for Sunday’s men’s singles final, could feel it.
A stiff breeze, signaling the beginning of the seasonal shift from summer to fall in New York City, was making its presence felt.
Male players in the locker room could also feel it this year in Flushing Meadows. The winds of change are blowing through men’s tennis, ushering in new leadership, and a new era of stars.
For the first time in 22 years, a Grand Slam season has concluded without a member of the ATP’s fabled Big 3–Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer–winning a single Grand Slam title.
It had to happen.
But it still feels strange.
Five-time US Open champion Federer, officially retired for nearly two years, graced fans with his presence during week two in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Swiss maestro is the last player to successfully defend the men’s singles title at the Open, but he’s long gone. Rafael Nadal withdrew from this year’s Open, and the iconic four-time champion, 38 years old, may never play in New York again.
Novak Djokovic, still thriving and fresh off his Olympic gold medal run in Paris, suffered a third-round shock to Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, his earliest US Open loss in 18 years.
Meanwhile, the bright lights inside Arthur Ashe Stadium focused on tennis’ generation next. They’ve earned their moment in the spotlight, and the stats bear that out.
The crowning of Jannik Sinner on Sunday in New York brings the enormity of the change into focus. For the first time since 1993, and only the third time in Open Era history, all four majors have been won by players aged 23 or younger. Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner dominated at the majors this year, splitting the loot with two majors apiece.
In 2022, when the tectonic plates of men’s tennis were just beginning to shift, Alcaraz electrified the New York faithful and won his maiden major title as a teenager. The Spaniard went on to become the youngest World No.1 in men’s tennis history and also finished the season as the ATP’s year-end No.1, another category that has been dominated by the Big 3, who have finished as the year-end No.1 in 18 of the last 20 years.
Sinner, who has won his first two major titles and reeled off 14 consecutive Grand Slam hard court victories, will look to put his name on that list in the next few months. It’s another indication of the seachange that is sweeping through the men’s game in 2024.
“Maybe it is a bit more open,” 2024 US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz opined after losing Sunday’s final to Sinner. “I don't think you have to play unbelievable to go deep in tournaments and contend.”
Sinner and Alcaraz are sure to produce more major triumphs in the future, but the end of the Big 3 era will also mean more opportunities for other players to shine. That’s exciting for the American men, who are champing at the bit for their moment in the sun in Flushing Meadows, as well as the other three Grand Slam venues.
“It's only a matter of time, and the game is open,” 2024 US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe told reporters after reaching the semifinals in New York. “It's not like it once was where you make quarterfinals, you play Rafa, and you're looking at flights.
“Now it's just totally different. And no one's unbeatable”
Fritz, who fought valiantly to reach his first major final before falling to Sinner in the final on Sunday, concurs.
“I think regardless of the result, I think it gives hope and shows that we're knocking on the door of winning a slam, and we have this generation, this group of guys where there's four or five of us that are actually at this level,” Fritz said. It shows that we're all moving in the right direction. I think that whenever one of us does something, the others follow, the others get belief from it.
“I think this is just the start for all of us.”
Sinner, now a two-time major champion, also welcomes the change. The Italian says the way he was pushed by Fritz in Sunday’s final makes him realize that there will always be new rivals knocking on the door.
“This makes me realize that the work never stops,” he said. “It's always a continuation of work which, at the end of the day, if you want to be a better player you always have to work, and you have to have these daily routines [and] accept difficult times on court.”
But he too can sense the change.
“It is a bit different, for sure,” he said. “It's something new, but it's also nice to see. Nice to see new champions. Nice to see new rivalries. I feel it's good for the sport to have some new champions.”
