And Then They Were Two

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(Edited)

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Rafael Nadal staged an incredible comeback from two sets down to win the Australian Open earlier today in five thrilling sets against World number two Damil Medvedev.

With the absence of Djokovic to his vaccine stance, you could sense the aura of favorite around Nadal despite having four other people ranked above him in the tournament. At age 35, Nadal picked up his 21st Grand Slam Title to pull ahead of Novak and Roger Federer as the all time leader by one.

However, you sense that as far as these men are concerned, there are still more records in store for us. Nadal may be 35 years of age, but as he showed today, he still posesses the stamina and skill to keep up and outperform the big names of the current generation.

How it Started

It seems like only yesterday that Roger Federer Burst into the scene and started dominating the space, ruling everywhere with an Iron fist and retiring aging guards like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. He was to find great success on every surface but clay largely due to the arrival of a Young Rafael Nadal into the Scene.

Federer won his first Grand Slam in 2003, and Nadal won his in 2005. These men continued to dominate the scene until the arrival and rapid improvement of a certain Novak Djokovic who won his first Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open.

From 2008 till date, it has been a three horse game that appears to only now be slowing down due to inevitable aging declines. At a point, it seemed another person was going to join the Mix in Andy Murray, with some even coining the term 'Big Four'. But it seems like Murray was never quite in the same league in terms of achievements and longevity.

Incredible Consistency

So Big Three is more appropriate and between them they have 61 Grand Slam titles to show for it since 2004. That means 61 of a possible 73 Grand Slam titles have been won by one of these men (if my math is correct). That is simply astonishing and the longevity is mind blowing.

Federer is the oldest and may have been the pace setter, but the caught up quickly and took charge during the later stages. Each of them have their won specialties, with Federer's being Grass, Nadal's Clay, and Djokovic the hard surface. While they all excelled in their fields, they showed potential of being very good all round players, with all winning Grand Slams at every surface.

To think they have been dominant for more than 18 years is such a phenomenal achievement. It does appear though that Injuries and age have finally caught up with Roger Federer.

Now 40, Federer, while still very competitive isn't quite in the same caliber as the other two. He still has the skillset, but stamina and strength are major doubts.

Conclusion

The duo of Novak and Nadal though continue to power on for the foreseeable future. I reckon they still have more Slams to add to their already legendary careers, and they stand kings in a generation of Tennis beyond theirs.



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8 comments
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I cannot think how these genius players are playing the level of game with aging. It is truly incredible. I am glad that I have seen them play and share the same timeline. It is a privilege to see them play live :) Vamos Nadal.

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Amazing to think Nadal was seen as a clay court specialist. He obviously benefitted from having no Djokovic around. I was expecting anew name to take the title this year and not Nadal.

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The man is simply incredible. I reckon he'd had a lot more Grand Slam trophies but for Djokovic

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Congratulations to Rafael Nadal. Well deserved victory. I guess he really maximize Djokovic absence

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Wow! I am impressed with Nadal, I think experience did it for him. Congratulation to the win and to the record!

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