The beginning of the end

Those salivating at the prospect of a “Big Four” — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — reunion at the 2019 Australian Open may want to embrace, however reluctantly, a sobering reality: the rendezvous just might not happen. 

It all seemed magnificently poised only a few weeks ago, when the quartet with a staggering 54 majors between them, announced that they would be competing together at one, only for the second time since Wimbledon in 2017. The equation has altered somewhat since: Murray, coming back from hip surgery, was ousted rather easily by Daniil Medvedev in the second round of the Brisbane International earlier this week, the same tournament that saw Nadal pulling out due to a strain in his left thigh. Murray, in fact, has announced that he plans to retire this season. For now, both are staying put in the main draw — Murray is slated to face a tricky opponent in Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round; Nadal comes up against Aussie wildcard James Duckworth — but how deep they actually go in Melbourne is really anybody’s guess.

Unable to fully recover from a hip injury, Andy Murray has announced that he plans to retire this season

The Big Four were always going to come into the year’s first Grand Slam knowing fully well that their days of dominance are drawing to a close, if not already a thing of the past. The Federer-Nadal-Djokovic trinity may have had their names etched on all the major trophies in the last two years, but most would agree that 2019 has almost a refreshingly different feel to it, one that promises to nurture new champions and awaken old challengers. 

Nadal and Murray are both fighting battles their bodies can no longer seemingly endure — definitely not for the entirety of a punishing season that has little room for respite. Federer, who looked refreshed and ready for the new season in Switzerland’s win at the Hopman Cup in Perth, will turn 38 in August. He may have taken devoted care of his body, but even his seemingly superhuman ability to defy age and logic will come in for its sternest test this year. Signs of his aura weakening and game fraying made an appearance in the second half of last season; 2019 can only get tougher. 

Djokovic, who experienced a sublime turnaround in 2018 that saw him reclaim the World No 1 ranking, undoubtedly looks the strongest of the four. Which is not to say that you can’t get at him. At the back end of last season, Karen Khachanov and Alexander Zverev, by dealing Djokovic two consecutive final losses, showed that the Serb isn’t exactly immune to moments of vulnerability. More corroborative evidence arrived in Doha earlier this week, where the largely unfancied Bautista Agut beat Djokovic in a tight three-setter in the semi-final of the Qatar Open.

Expectedly, storylines in men’s tennis in recent times have been mainly restricted to the Big Four: of their debilitating injuries and roaring comebacks. That, perhaps just for the sake of variety, must change. Zverev, for one, is someone who can offer a different script. The young German, known to blow hot and cold, would believe he has turned a corner of sorts with his victory at the ATP Finals in November.

The 21-year-old tamed both Federer and Djokovic en route to the title in London, a feat few  have managed and one that makes him the hot favourite to halt the supremacy of the Big Four. Zverev, however, long touted as a future World No 1, has struggled at the Slams — his quarter-final showing at last year’s French Open is the farthest he’s ever gone at a major. All that might change with Ivan Lendl now coaching the World No 4. The stone-faced Czech, who helped Murray break his Grand Slam duck, has clearly added much-needed solidity to Zverev’s game ever since taking over ahead of last year’s US Open.

Joining Zverev among the young contenders is Khachanov, the 22-year-old with a rocket of a serve and frightening groundstrokes that are likely to worry anyone he faces. Much like Zverev, Khachanov’s win over Djokovic at the Paris Masters is being seen as a significant turning point that can catapult the Russian right into a tussle for the top prizes.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, the charming, long-haired Greek, has no such scalps on his résumé yet, but has won praise from none other than Federer himself. Still only 20, Tsitsipas won an impressive 46 tour-level matches last year, his game often exhibiting a maturity and skill way beyond his years. 

All these credentials, however, as outstanding as they seem, are unlikely to result in a sweep of the Slams, or even regular victories over Federer, Djokovic and Nadal in the immediate term. In that sense, the men at the top will feel slightly more threatened by the likes of Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic, vastly experienced players who know what it takes to go all the way at the majors. What it does confirm, though, is that a change of guard may be on the horizon. And while we may have made the grave mistake of dismissing the Big Four as a spent force in the past, this time, with form, fitness and age all against them, the end is perhaps closer than we think.