The golden generation of tennis
Going into the final of the 2013 French Open, Spain’s David Ferrer had been in dominant form. Yet to lose a single set in his journey to the final, Ferrer was playing the best tennis of his career, but ironically went into the match as a heavy underdog. The reason? The man he was facing had won every French Open title since 2005, bar 2009. He was the man himself, the “King of Clay”, then-winner of 11 Grand Slams and Ferrer’s compatriot, Rafael Nadal.
Rafa, unlike Ferrer, had had few tough matches on his way to the final and yet was the favorite to win them all. The end result, to no one’s surprise, was a complete annihilation for the hapless Ferrer, who lost the match in straight sets. For all his talent, consistency and prowess, Ferrer, unfortunately, finds himself as the 5th best player (though latest rankings suggest he is one better) in the world and the leader of a pack of current players who have all the talent in the world, but yet find themselves consistently behind the “Big Four”-Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The gulf between these players and others has widened to such an extent that has led many to wonder what it will take to stop them.
Considered by many as the greatest player of all time, Switzerland’s crown jewel, Roger Federer, has been the leader of this pack of “Big Four”, whose complete dominance has prompted many experts to label this as the “golden generation of tennis”. With 17 Grand Slams, an Olympic doubles gold and singles silver under his belt, FedEx, as Federer is popularly known, has become an inspiration for youngsters around the world. His game is poetry in motion, and during his peak he was virtually unbeatable. Winning his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon in 2003, he went on an unstoppable streak that slowed down only after the emergence of a certain Spaniard.
Among his contemporaries, Federer enjoyed rivalries with Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin. Roddick, in particular, was the one who often brought out the best in Federer and the duo met in four Grand Slam finals, including the epic at Wimbledon 2009. Roddick, unfortunately, ended up on the losing side in all four finals. He was particularly shattered by his defeat in the aforementioned final and would never be the same again. In an era of complete domination by Federer, the trio ended up winning a combined total of five Grand Slams. As for Federer, though his game has slowed down considerably with age, he keeps on mesmerising us with his wizardry and, as tennis fans, we do hope he can carry on for many more years.
With Federer at the peak of his powers, and all his rivals falling away, there emerged Rafael Nadal, who went on to become his greatest rival and knocked him off his perch. He took to clay like a fish takes to water and became the greatest clay court specialist in the history of the game. Boasting of 12 Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic singles gold, Rafa has solidified himself as one of the greatest players of all time. He has had some memorable duels with Federer, including the final of Wimbledon 2008, a match that is regarded by many as the greatest match of all time. However, injuries took a toll on his body and he spent a considerable amount of time off-court; and when he was back, two more of his contemporaries were already on their way up.