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Roger Federer Playing at Central Court of All England Club, Wimbledon, UK.
Wimbledon, also known as The Championship, has started. Widely regarded as the most prestigious tennis tournament, The Championship, is the oldest tennis tournament.
It is now a part of the four most important tennis events of the year – known as grand slams. The three other Grand Slams include – Australian Open, French Open and the US Open.
In the history of tennis, the year 1968 holds a lot of significance – it was the beginning of the open era. In this era, Grand Slam tournaments allowed professional players to compete with amateurs, ending the division that had persisted since the birth of the sport in the 19th century.
Vintage Tennis Rackets And Slazenger Wimbledon Tennis Ball On Grass Tennis Court, © Zhukovsky | Megapixl.com
So, in the open era, the year starts with Australian Open – held at hard surfaces Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne in January. After a long hiatus of almost five months, the clay courts at Roland Garros, France play host to French Open. Just two weeks later, the focus shifts across the English Channel, as players fight it out on grass surface of All England Club for Wimbledon trophy. Then two months later, in September, the focus shifts into hard courts across the Altantic Ocean, in New York, as players fight it out for the last slam of the year – US Open.
However, even by simplest of the appearance Wimbledon stands out from other three. Have you observed the players wearing colourful sportswear in rest of three tournaments, while in Wimbledon you only see players wearing white? Ever thought why? Because Wimbledon has strict dress code in place – unlike other three grand slams.
Competing so hard through the year, the rivalries aren’t new to tennis. In twentieth century, the rivalry between Björn Borg and John McEnroe was one of the most famous in the sporting world. Between the two they share 19 grand slams – with careers lasting for different span of time. However, for the four years that they played against each other, the head-to-head stood at 7-7 in 14 matches. McEncroe had a clear edge in slams – winning three of their four meeting in those four years.
Rafael Nadal Of Spain L And 2019 Australian Open Champion Novak Djokovic During Trophy Presentation After Men`s Final Match, © Zhukovsky | Megapixl.com
But no rivalry comes close to what started in 2003 and is probably at its fag end right now. That year, Roger Federer won his first Wimbledon title. Two years later, Rafael Nadal got into the groove and won his first French Open. Since then, Federer has dominated the grass court, while Nadal has dominated the clay court. By 2008, the duo had won 15 grand slams together. And then Novak Djokovic entered the fray by winning Australian Open of 2008.
To realise the dominance of three in the past 19 years, the Big Three – as they are known, have now 59 Grand Slam between them. That would mean that they have cornered 77.6% of the grandslams over two decades – dominating atleast three generations of tennis players.
The trio has won 18 consecutive majors from the 2005 French Open to Wimbledon in 2009, and 13 consecutive majors from the 2017 Australian Open to the 2020 Australian Open.
For 846 weeks, or 86% of the time in last 19 years, either of three have been at the numero uno slot of men’s singles ranking.
However, we might be at the fag of end of this great era of unprecedented domination by the troika. Federer is already 39 and Nadal is 35. Both have started to skip grand slams in a bid to prolong their career. Djokovic, aged 34, still seems running fit and may have his short at surpassing shared record of Federer and Nadal – 20 grand slam each. Djokovic, as on date is on 19 slams.
