US Open 2022: First time none of Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are in a Grand Slam quarterfinals since 2003
Frances Tiafoe stunned Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the 2022 US Open with a dazzling four-set victory, 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-3, to end the World No. 3s quest for a record 23rd Grand Slam title.
With Serena Williams falling to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round on Friday, it marked the first time since 2003 that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Serena Williams will not compete in a Grand Slam quarterfinal.
This year's US Open is just the third time since 2004 that Federer, Djokovic or Nadal are not in the quarterfinals of a Major. The first instance was at the 2004 French Open and the second was at the 2020 US Open.
There have been 75 grand slams played since 2004.
The 2022 US Open will be just the third with no Federer, Djokovic or Nadal in the Quarterfinals.
Others: 2004 French Open, 2020 US Open.
The Big 3 have dominated men's tennis for the past two decades, winning a whopping 63 Major titles between them. Nadal sits atop the leaderboard with 22, followed by Djokovic on 21, and Federer on 20.
However, as evidenced by Nadal's defeat on Monday, the Big 3's dominance might just be coming to an end. Next Gen players like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Tiafoe look ready to take the mantle and battle it out in the upper echelons of the sport.
"I'm a son of immigrants" - Frances Tiafoe after his US Open R4 win against Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal lost his first Grand Slam match of the season on Monday, going down in four sets to Frances Tiafoe. Tiafoe was the better player on the day, slamming 18 aces along with 49 winners. Nadal could only manage 9 aces and 33 winners.
The victory marked the first time that Tiafoe has beaten Nadal. The Spaniard won their first two encounters in straight sets. Their first meeting came at at the 2019 Australian Open, with the spaniard winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Nadal once again triumphed when they met a few months later in Madrid.
Speaking at a press conference afterward, Tiafoe touched on what the victory meant to him and his parents, immigrants from Sierra Leone who made a living as blue-collar workers in the late 1980s.
"I'm a son of immigrants, both parents grew up in Sierra Leone, born and raised in Sierra Leone. Came to the States early '90s, late '80s, around there. Whatever. They met here, had me and my twin brother," he said. "My dad, being a maintenance worker at a club, help building a club '99. My mom being a nurse, working two jobs, working overtime through the nights."
Tiafoe's win over Nadal marked only the seventh time that an American has beaten a member of the Big 3 in a Grand Slam.
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