News :
Comment - Spectacular old gentleman wars - Sport
Big Three Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have now won 54 of the last 65 Grand Slam titles. Her experience speaks to her more than ever.
After the finale of Wimbledon must be briefly recalled to the Californian Robert Falkenburg. Famed for his strategic sense, he figured out his odds in 1948 after losing a fourth set on the court. Then he kept pummeling the ball until he actually received the trophy from the hands of Princess Marina, the Duchess of Kent. Falkenburg was the last male player at the famous Lawn Tournament that won the final after defending match balls until Sunday, when Novak Djokovic entered the arena. Also in this respect the competition of 2019 was remarkable.
In individual Falkenburg has conquered only this one Gold Cup; later he founded a fast food chain in Brazil. Such a shift in business interests is unlikely to be expected by Djokovic and his losing rival Roger Federer in the immediate future. Greater is the likelihood that former US Crack Falkenberg would probably agree that they will soon be back with the racket in hand, determination in view, in a Grand Slam final.
Although Djokovic is thirty-two years old, Federer turns 38 in a month. But when two fathers last demonstrated that age is just a number to overcome - like 7: 8, 30:40 in the fifth set - then this one both. A daring theory after the Marathon Match, the longest Wimbledon final since 1877, is that nowadays only rivals of this age, with this experience and routine, are able to maintain themselves at such a high level until the last rally dueling. The thesis is not easy to refute: Among other things, because there are currently only one current player under 28 years, the Grand Slam Finals reached, the 25-year-old Austrian Dominic Thiem.
Of the last 65 Grand Slam tournaments, the major competitions in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have won a staggering 54. Since Federer's first win at Wimbledon in 2003, there have only been seven other champions besides this dominant tennis trio: Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Roddick, Gaston Gaudio and Marat Safin.
The next opportunity to break the supremacy of the Big Three is to take on all the younger challenges at the September US Open. If not, the audience will hardly revolt: Because the old gentleman warriors still offers the best spectacle.