NEW YORK, United States — Newly-crowned
champions
Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek led a changing of the guard at the US
Open as the transition from the “Big Three” era, and Serena Williams gathered
pace.
اضافة اعلان
The exiled Novak Djokovic, prevented from competing
in New York due to US government vaccination mandates for visitors from
overseas, may yet return to add to his collection of 21 Grand Slam titles next
year.
But the continued absence from men’s tennis of the
41-year-old Roger Federer and the fourth-round exit of 22-time Grand Slam
champion Rafael Nadal provide further proof that the trio’s era of domination
is drawing to a close.
The women’s game is already confronting the
departure of an icon, with the 40-year-old
Serena Williams heading into
retirement following an emotional farewell in New York.
Williams’ exit in the third round, and Nadal’s
last-16 defeat, meant that for the first time since 2003 at a Grand Slam event,
the quarter-finals of the women’s and men’s draws did not feature at least one
of Williams, Nadal, Djokovic, or Federer.
“It definitely shows that there’s a changing of the
guard going on, and obviously some of it has to do with age — for Roger
Federer,” Swedish great Mats Wilander told the Eurosport television network.
“Some of it has to do with Rafa not playing enough
matches to be ready, and of course, a lot of it has to do with the fact Novak
Djokovic wasn’t allowed to come because he’s not vaccinated.”
“But at the same time, the depth in the men’s game
is unbelievable.”
Adding weight to that view is the fact that the
men’s draw saw four new faces in the semi-finals, with debutants Frances Tiafoe
and Karen Khachanov joining eventual finalists Alcaraz and Casper Ruud.
‘We are the present’
The 19-year-old Alcaraz is not
quite ready to call time on Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer just yet, but
acknowledges that a generational shift is well and truly underway.
“As long as Rafa, Djokovic, Federer are there, they
will be the best and the rivalry they have between them will always come
first,” said the Spaniard after his five-hour 15-minute quarter-final epic with
Jannik Sinner.
“But Jannik and I have shown that we are the present
and we also have long careers ahead of us,” added Alcaraz, whose title made him
the youngest world number one in history.
Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero cautioned
against expecting Alcaraz to emulate the Grand Slam achievements of the Big
Three.
“I think it’s going to be very, very difficult to
achieve what they have done in tennis,” Ferrero said. “We’re talking about 22
Grand Slams. He has only one.
“But who knows? I think he has all the tennis and
potential to be one of the best.”
Rising American star Tiafoe believes the depth in
the men’s game would prevent one or two players from dominating the
post-Big-Three landscape.
“It’s cool to see a new era,” Tiafoe said.
“I don’t think it will be a big three. It will be
like a big 12. There’s a bunch of guys playing great tennis.”
In women’s tennis,
meanwhile, newly-minted US Open champion Swiatek looks more than capable of
filling the vacancy created by the retirements of both Williams and Ashleigh
Barty, the former world number one who stunned the sport by retiring in March
at just 25.
The 21-year-old Pole’s straight sets victory over
Ons Jabeur in Saturday’s final was her third career Grand Slam, and her first
on a surface other than the red clay of Roland Garros, where she won in 2020
and 2022.
Swiatek’s season has included seven tournament
victories, as well as a remarkable 37-match winning streak.
Swiatek, most comfortable on clay, said her victory in New
York on hard court could turn out to be a psychological watershed for her
career, saying the “sky is the limit”.
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