Novak Djokovic And Senja Hari Era "Big Three"

Novak Djokovic lives alone against a new, younger competitor (Instagram/@djokernole).

JAKARTA The era of domination of "Big Three" on the tennis court seems to have reached its end this year. Novak Djokovic was also destined to be the last tennis player to enter the dusk of the era.

"Big Three" is the nickname for the top trio of the tennis world that includes Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. These last two names have reached their final point and Djokovic is likely to follow soon.

The three names have always won at least one Grand Slam title every season since 2003. However, this year the record ended after Djokovic failed to keep his title at the US Open 2024.

The trophy from the Grand Slam closing the season this year was lifted by the Italian and world number one, Jannik Sinner. He came out as the champion after defeating the host's mainstay in the final, Taylor Frizt, on Monday, September 9, 2024, early morning WIB.

The trophy is Sinner's second title at Grand Slam. Earlier, earlier this year, the 23-year-old raised his first title at the 2024 Australian Open after the final match stopped Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev.

The other two Grand Slam titles this year were secured by Carlos Alcaraz. The Spanish tennis player has a total of four Grand Slam trophies after winning the French Open and Wimbledon 2024.

The dominance of the two young players this year over Djokovic has at the same time dimmed the greatness of the "Big Three" era. Their power for more than two dacades began to be eroded by the two new names above.

"It's a little different. It's something new, but it's also fun to see. It's nice to see a new champion. I'm happy to see the new competition. I think this sport is good because it has a new champion," Sinner commented in response to the situation.

Kejayaan dari era "Big Three" total memenangi 66 gelar Grand Slam dari total 81, mulai dari gelar Wimbledon pertama Federer pada 2003 sampai dengan trofi Grand Slam ke-24 dalam karier Djokovic di Flushing Meadows tahun lalu.

Federer's retirement and Nadal's injury left Djokovic alone struggling to keep pace with last year's youth.

He was recorded to have won three of the four Grand Slams and then finished world number one by the end of the year for the eighth time, which was a record.

This year Djokovic underwent a work that was well below his standards. Starting from the defeat against Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals and having to pull out of the clay event Roland Garros due to injury.

At Wimbledon 2024, he walked all the way to the final round, but then suffered defeat against Alcaraz. As for last Grand Slam this year, the US Open, he returned early in the third half after being beaten by Australian player Alexei Popyrin.

Although he did not reach Grand Slam, this 37-year-old tennis player can entertain himself with a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. There, he climbed the highest podium after defeating Alcaraz who was much more than him in the final.

"From a wider point of view, of course I have to settle for it. It's hard to see a bigger perspective right now. You're just angry and upset at losing and how you play."

"However, tomorrow is a new day. I will clearly think about what to do next," Djokovic said after being eliminated at the US Open 2024.

With the current collection of Grand Slam titles, Djokovic is still on par with Australian tennis player! Thus, he only needs one more title to become the most successful tennis player in history in the singles sector, both women and men.

The biggest opportunity to make this history could be done by Djokovic at the Australian Open in January 2025, a tournament that has given him 10 titles that is still a record at this time.