Tenniss Top Quartet
The top four players in the men’s game currently form a sort of
exclusive club. By contrast, previous
eras tended to be marked by either ‘duos’ or ‘troikas’ of dominance. There were the rivalries of: Hoad/Rosewall in
the 1950’s; Laver/Newcombe/Roche in the 1960’s; Borg/McEnroe/Connors in the
70’s and 80’s; Becker/Edberg/Cash in the late 1980’s and Sampras/Agassi in the
90’s and Noughties. Now, however,we
have a quartet.
The difference in standard, as evidenced by ATP Ranking Points, between
the quartet and the rest of the pack is considerable. With the exception of
Andy Murray, the other three have all held the position of World Number
One. Federer’s one-time dominance
eventually gave way to the rise of Nadal who in turn, has passed the baton (not
at all willingly!) on to Djokovic. While several other players down the rankings
have shown their capacity to beat members of the ‘quartet’ on occasion, they
remain very much in the second division.
So far, there is no-one barking at the quartet’s heels. Djokovic, whose star is currently very much
in the ascendant, stands atop the world game.
Is this healthy for the men’s game?
Having four players all vying for the top position is obviously better
for the competitiveness of the sport than simply having one (some would argue,
however, that Djokovic has now assumed a position of dominance from which
Nadal, Federer and Murray are unable to dislodge him). Nadal’s proficiency on clay courts will
always stand him in good stead in the tussle to assert who is the game’s ‘top
dog’, with the French Championships being his ‘Jewel in the Crown’. As the magnificent final of the 2012
Australian Championships also showed , Nadal demonstrated his ability to push
Djokovic right to the wire, even on the harder surface preferred by
Djokovic. Of the quartet, Nadal seems to
be Djokovic’s closest rival and the one most likely to dislodge him from the top
position over the short to medium term.
Federer’s standard has fallen in recent times (or is it his hunger for
the game?) from a position of huge dominance over a long period. Yet, he
retains the ability to push the other members of the quartet to the very
limit. Of the four, Federer has the
lowest current ranking and one suspects that his star is in the descendant, as
age and ‘wear and tear’ have their inevitable effects. Federer is likely to be around for some time,
but one feels we have probably seen his best.
At his best, he was outstanding – like a graceful,lurking panther on
court in comparison to the more mechanised and ruthless power of Djokovic or
the ebullient ‘supernova’ that was Nadal.
Murray presents an
interesting dilemma. Britain’s ‘Great Hope’ ever since the retirement
of Tim Henman, Murray
has not disappointed his British public in the way some former ‘Great Hopes’
have. His achievements to date have been
solid and impressive (notably in the Slam events). As a member of the quartet, he remains firmly
‘in the frame’. Slip-ups, injuries or
losses in form by other quartet members, could just give him the opening he
needs to assert his own desire for dominance.
Still being relatively young, his day may yet come.
At the moment, there is no new, young ‘supernova’ on the horizon to
challenge the dominance of the quartet, but that isn’t to say that someone
won’t appear in the near future. The
current balance of the international game would suggest that he is more likely
to emerge from Europe than from either the USA
or Australia. What continues to be a source of surprise is
how, given its past traditions, its huge resources, its facilities and large
population base that the USA
has not managed to produce for some time, a player of the calibre to challenge
the quartet.
For the moment, however, the tennis public is transfixed by a level of
competition at the top that it has not seen in a long time. For the rest of the Men’s Tour, the members
of quartet represent the ‘Gold Standard’ against which their own standards are
measured. To this extent, the men’s game is in a healthy state. Against this backdrop, the appetite of its
viewing public should remain whetted for some time yet.
Paul McElhinney
Date published :
10 Feb 2012 - 09:46:48
