Could the 2020 US Open be the beginning of the end for the Big Three?

Tennis News
Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka
  • August 7, 2020

The 2020 US Open is quickly becoming the talk of the sporting world with the event less than a month away. The subplots that are developing have the potential to bring about a new world order in the game of tennis and set us on a new path after years of domination by the game’s biggest names.

Indeed, it feels like we have been waiting for that particular line in the sand to be drawn for a while now but we’ve had to carry on being patient as the big three continue to dominate during all of the grand slams.

Funnily enough, you have to go back to the 2016 US Open when Stan Wawrinka won to find the last time the Big Three weren’t on top of the podium at a grand slam.

That’s right, 13 grand slams have passed since Wawrinka hoisted aloft the US Open trophy at the Arthur Ashe Stadium and they have all been won by either Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. The 2020 edition, however, has the potential to see a change in what has certainly been one-way traffic.

The reason being is that some of the world’s best players may well take a pass on arriving at Flushing Meadows this year and that will surely open the door for a new name to take their share of the grand slam pie. In fact, it was Andy Murray who recently said that he would definitely go to the US Open to make up for all the time he has missed through injury in order to try and win another grand slam.

The 33-year-old’s attitude is admirable given that he has secured his legacy as one of the world’s greatest players but Murray won’t be alone in his thinking.

Indeed, the Scotsman won’t be the only one connecting the dots and feeling bullish about their chances given that it may not be an all-star cast in New York. That’s not to say that the Big Three definitely won’t show up and in many cases, they are still heavily tipped to dominate in the big events going forward. You just have to have a look at Rafa Nadal’s odds in the latest tennis betting for Roland-Garros to understand that the old guard are still very much the men to beat.

But should a younger winner emerge at the US Open, the stranglehold of the Big Three will have finally been broken for the first time in four years.

Who’s to say what the result of that outcome could mean? It may be considered a blip by some and realistically, there’s every chance that the big boys of the tour then head to Paris and restore the status quo during the French Open, as Nadal did last year when he won his 12th title on the famed clay courts of Roland-Garros.

But you also can’t underestimate what a foot in the door may do for the confidence of the rest of the tour. Every dynasty has to eventually fall and we may be about to witness the early dismantling of tennis’ greatest ever one.

 

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