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I've always been cautious about claiming this and have challenged many MTF users over the past years that were expecting the Big 3 to stop dominating. But this year enough cracks have appeared that makes this a realistic possibility. Let's look at how the year went:
Australian Open - sure, Novak won again. However, his QF and SF were a joke and earlier, he lost sets to two youngsters: Shapovalov and Medvedev.
French Open - Nadal won as usual, but he lost a set to Goffin and also to Thiem in the final (who also had to beat Djokovic again the round before). I fully expect the 2020 match between them to go to five sets if it happens.
Wimbledon - The famous 40-15 Djokerer final. However, Djoko had a weak draw and still lost a set to Hurkacz. Federer has also avoided the really dangerous youngsters en route.
US Open - Best example? Medvedev almost won the final against Nadal after having a much tougher QF and SF. And it was his first final!
The story is, the youngsters are finally truly rising up. They can challenge and beat the best of the best. I'm not even talking about the M1000 and Nitto, where the Big 3 has totally lost their grip already. None of them even reached the final at Nitto. Only the slams remain, and enough cracks have showed there that it's totally reasonable to predict the fortress going down next year. All we need is for the youngsters to stop losing to the Goffins and Verdascos which will promptly bend over to Big 3 next round. Every time the Big 3 have faced the truly dangerous youngsters (Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Shapovalov, hell even Hurkacz) they've lost sets or matches. And those youngsters lacked experience then, which they will have now. They will also be higher in ranks, helping avoid more dangerous opponents early and the second tier of Big 3 gen, such as Tsonga and Verdasco, will keep declining further. GU should not be an issue at this point, I hope.
I've rambled on for too long. What do you think? Is 2020 the year of change, or the same old Big 3 domination? Or maybe the Comeback King claims it all?
Australian Open - sure, Novak won again. However, his QF and SF were a joke and earlier, he lost sets to two youngsters: Shapovalov and Medvedev.
French Open - Nadal won as usual, but he lost a set to Goffin and also to Thiem in the final (who also had to beat Djokovic again the round before). I fully expect the 2020 match between them to go to five sets if it happens.
Wimbledon - The famous 40-15 Djokerer final. However, Djoko had a weak draw and still lost a set to Hurkacz. Federer has also avoided the really dangerous youngsters en route.
US Open - Best example? Medvedev almost won the final against Nadal after having a much tougher QF and SF. And it was his first final!
The story is, the youngsters are finally truly rising up. They can challenge and beat the best of the best. I'm not even talking about the M1000 and Nitto, where the Big 3 has totally lost their grip already. None of them even reached the final at Nitto. Only the slams remain, and enough cracks have showed there that it's totally reasonable to predict the fortress going down next year. All we need is for the youngsters to stop losing to the Goffins and Verdascos which will promptly bend over to Big 3 next round. Every time the Big 3 have faced the truly dangerous youngsters (Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Shapovalov, hell even Hurkacz) they've lost sets or matches. And those youngsters lacked experience then, which they will have now. They will also be higher in ranks, helping avoid more dangerous opponents early and the second tier of Big 3 gen, such as Tsonga and Verdasco, will keep declining further. GU should not be an issue at this point, I hope.
I've rambled on for too long. What do you think? Is 2020 the year of change, or the same old Big 3 domination? Or maybe the Comeback King claims it all?