They keep writing off the Big 3. The modern generation is too big, too fast, they hit the ball too hard. But in the last 20 Grand Slam events, only 2 events have not been won by the big 3. And in one of those 2 there was a Big 3 runner up. So only in 1 of the last 20 majors was there no Big 3 player in the final.
This is dominance…massive dominance.
I keep trying to explain to our book keeper why this is happening, but he just doesn’t get it….mesmerized by ball speed, spin rates, ratings points and unimportant tournaments. Every year there is a new seuntjie….Rublev last year, Alcatraz this year. But they were nowhere near the finals that have been played.
The fact is 3 set matches are a different contest. Majors have a different level of pressure. It becomes as much mental as physical. All the big 3 have incredibly well developed patterns of play that protect their relative weaknesses and accentuate their strengths. They don’t blink when the pressure is on. They know how to win. Their games have been honed by competition.
Clearly time is wearing them down….Federer is probably gone, Nadal has to manage himself carefully and Djokovic seems to have a lot of pressure in his life. But if they are fit and signed up for a Major they are still most likely to win.
And it’s been a privilege watching these men play the game.