Djokovic (24) - Nadal (22) - Federer (20)

Post by **Jezza** » Wed Sep 15, 2021 10:20 pm

Djokovic lost in straight sets, meaning Rod Laver is still the last player to win all 4 slams in a calendar year.

K · Post by K » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:19 am

In the end, Djokovic fell well short of a Golden Slam. Zverev beat him in the men's singles SF 1-6 6-3 6-1. Carreno then also beat him in the bronze medal match, 6-4 6-7(8 ) 6-3, leaving him without a medal. (The hard-court surface was DecoTurf.)

But Djokovic did have one huge achievement in 2021: With his win at Roland Garros, he became only the third man to win all four Grand Slam singles titles at least twice. The first two to do this were Roy Emerson and Rod Laver.

So where to now for The Big Three?

Post by **Jezza** » Thu Sep 23, 2021 9:06 pm

^ I think Federer is very close to the end with injuries catching up now. Wimbledon is his only hope.

Nadal will be a persistent threat on clay surfaces going forward.

Still think Djokovic has a few slams left in him, but he won't dominate the way he has in the last decade.

K · Post by K » Thu Sep 23, 2021 9:17 pm

Yeah, Jezza. There are two questions surrounding Djokovic's future:

1. Are Roger and Rafa completely out of the picture now?

2. Have the next generations caught up yet?

If the answers are 1. Yes, 2. No, as many have assumed, then he can go on an easy spree to bump up his numbers.

I'll post more regarding 2. In part it depends on what Medvedev's victory does or doesn't mean. (Thiem, Zverev and Tsitsipas are the other major figures in Q2.)

Post by **Jezza** » Thu Sep 23, 2021 9:19 pm

Both good questions that will be answered in time.

Will be interesting how the next 12 months unfolds for the big 3.

K · Post by K » Fri Oct 01, 2021 9:14 pm

1. Are Roger and Rafa completely out of the picture now?

McNamee, for example, holds the common view. Before the US Open, he wrote:

"Now the US Open is nigh. Nadal is absent and Federer is having more knee surgery. Sadly, and harsh as it may seem, the magical era of “The Big Three” ... has ended. We can but hope that we will see Roger grace the courts once more but, by his own admission, it’s unlikely to be vying for more major titles.

However, Rafa’s situation is different. As he puts it, himself, he has two more “exciting” years left. That’s code for winning one or two more French Opens."

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/ ... 58mqd.html

Post by **Jezza** » Mon Oct 04, 2021 10:28 pm

Some issues are emerging with the upcoming Australian Open, with respect to vaccination status.

Djokovic, Medvedev, Tsitsipas and Zverev are all unvaccinated as far as I know. Will this preclude them from being able to play in the AO?

I've also read elsewhere that the tournament could be relocated elsewhere (e.g. Dubai or Doha) if the players are not accommodated.

K · Post by K » Tue Oct 05, 2021 4:09 am

K · Post by K » Tue Oct 05, 2021 4:11 am

KenH · Post by **KenH** » Tue Oct 05, 2021 7:14 am

Jezza wrote:Some issues are emerging with the upcoming Australian Open, with respect to vaccination status.

Djokovic, Medvedev, Tsitsipas and Zverev are all unvaccinated as far as I know. Will this preclude them from being able to play in the AO?

I've also read elsewhere that the tournament could be relocated elsewhere (e.g. Dubai or Doha) if the players are not accommodated.

Fine if those players don't get vaccinated they stay home, I don't believe or it should be located just to please the selfish ones.

K · Post by K » Tue Oct 05, 2021 5:10 pm

Federer, Nadal & Murray are all pro-vaccination.

Murray: "The reason why all of us are getting vaccinated is to look out for the wider public.

"We have a responsibility, as players who are traveling across the world, to look out for everyone else as well."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-29/ ... /100416254

Note: if folks are interested in prolonged discussion of compulsory vaccination in tennis or other sports, let's start a separate thread. It's tangential to this thread -- except
1) yet again Djokovic is at odds with the others in the Big Four;
2) if the AO were moved, Djokovic would most likely lose the biggest thing in his favour, the surface. (e.g. As we've seen at the Olympics & USO, it's far harder for him to win on DecoTurf.)

K · Post by K » Sat Jan 08, 2022 4:54 pm

Post by **Jezza** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:13 pm

Nadal reaches the AO final and will be vying for a record 21st slam. He will play US Open Champion, Daniil Medvedev.

Nadal's reached 6 AO finals (2009, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2022). This contrasts with Djokovic (9) and Federer (7).

Nadal will be looking to be the fourth male player to win the career grand slam twice after Roy Emerson, Rod Laver and Novak Djokovic.

Post by **Jezza** » Mon Jan 31, 2022 12:45 am

Nadal wins from two sets down and wins #21.

Insane!!

What'sinaname · Post by **What'sinaname** » Mon Jan 31, 2022 6:38 am

It guarantees a 20th consecutive year where one of the Big 3 has won one of the four grand slam events.

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Djokovic (24) - Nadal (22) - Federer (20)