A grand slam quarter-final without the “Big Three”? A rarity since it has only happened once since 2004, two years ago, in very particular conditions since neither Nadal, nor Djokovic nor Federer had lost on the court then.
With Rafael Nadal’s surprise defeat against American Frances Tiafoe on Monday, it may be the end of an era, that of the domination of a trio that won 63 Grand Slams, which began almost two years ago. decades.
It should also be noted that with the successive eliminations in the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows of Nadal, Russian Daniil Medvedev and Croatian Marin Cilic, no former winner of a Grand Slam tournament is present in the quarter-finals of a Major, again a rarity. And a first, too, since the 2020 United States Open.
During this edition, Nadal and Federer were forfeited, and Djokovic had been prematurely eliminated in the 8th round against the Spaniard Pablo Carreno: the Serb had been disqualified after throwing a ball and involuntarily touching a linesman.
Sixteen years earlier, at Roland-Garros 2004, Federer, then 22 years old and world number one, had been knocked out in the third round by the Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten. Nadal (18) and Djokovic (17) did not participate in the tournament.
The 41-year-old Federer, tormented by his right knee, hasn’t been seen on court since Wimbledon 2021, but the Swiss with 20 Grand Slam crowns is set to return to competition this fall and hopes to play the full the 2023 season in what might look like a proper farewell tour. With what ambition? Hard to predict.
Serena and the “Big Three”
Solid world number one at the start of the year and winner at Wimbledon of his 21st Major, Djokovic, 35, could not take part in the 2022 edition of the United States Open due to his non-vaccination against COVID-19, as had already been the case for the Serb at the Australian Open in January. This choice also casts doubt on his chances of enriching his record: will he be able to take part in the Australian Open in January?
Despite his surprise defeat against the American Frances Tiafoe which deprives him of a possible 23rd Major, Nadal has the opportunity at 36 to become world number one again next Monday, for the ninth time in his career. But this will only be the case if his young compatriot Carlos Alcaraz or the Norwegian Casper Ruud do not qualify for the final of the New York tournament.
If we expand to women’s tennis and the American Serena Williams (23 Majors), absolute star of this edition of the United States Open who should be her last appearance on the WTA circuit, we have to go back to the 2003 edition to see the absence of one of the four sacred monsters in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament.
Finally, it is the first time since 2000 that the first two seeds have not reached the quarter-finals of the United States Open: the American Andre Agassi, world number one, had then left the tournament in the second round. and Kuerten, number two, as soon as he entered the running.