[cb4_89]

Zverev, Medvedev and Tsitsipas are just rubbish and have been surpassed by Alcaraz and Sinner.

Science and conditioning have improved tenfold, and Sinner and Alcaraz will benefit from that too, will add years onto their prime, that those before the big 3 never had.

Peak performance and longevity becoming the standard across the board in all sports. Tsitsipas, Medvedev and Zverev being rubbish generally, doesn't disprove this. They were never good enough, in any era!

Peak performance is still around 25 years old. This includes the big 3. These guys play an individual sport where there is no hiding or resting. Modern practices can get you near that peak till 30, but even the best start breaking down after that if isolated the same way.

It will always be harder for a tennis player to have the same type of success at say 30-35 due to that individual sport aspect.

 

[BurnsTennis]

I guess in the case of murray he felt like he could have won much more, and he know if he had been able to keep up and the others decline first he would have won at least double of the slams he did.. in a time only Medvedev, Zverev, Thiem, Ruud, Tsitsipas, Fritz, Berretini and the likes reached multiple slam finals... In any other era he would have had at least 6 (and why not even 7 or why not say 8) Grand Slams on him.

That's an interesting thought.

Let's take Berrettini as an example. I saw him play Wimbledon in 2021. I also saw Mark Phillippoussis play in Queens back in 2002 or 2003. Both men have a remarkably similar build and appearance. Same height, serve at the same pace. Similar movement (not the best), both barrell chested. Berrettinni with a two hander but actually slices the ball much more, Mark was more included to come over the ball. Both injury prone at that height and weight.

Phillippoussis only made two major finals in his era. With the similarities being so intense, I don't see where Berrettinni is getting to multiple finals and winning multiple titles.

To be fair that's a very easy like for like direct comparison. But it shows in any era still not easy to be a winning machine.

Murray, yes no doubt he would have won more. But he still needed to sort out that second serve because in previous eras top level opponents went after your second serve even more; attackers, baseliners, all court players, the lot. That's where you got your joy.

 

[BauerAlmeida]

The Big 3 are an "anomaly" and very hard to replicate. However, we are now seeing in sports that longevity is increasing. Tom Brady was winning Super Bowls in his 40s, Messi and C. Ronaldo will become the only players in history to play 6 World Cups next year. And we saw other players aside from the Big 3 play well into their 30s like Isner, Monfils, Gasquet, etc.

 

[del piero]

The Big 3 are an "anomaly" and very hard to replicate. However, we are now seeing in sports that longevity is increasing. Tom Brady was winning Super Bowls in his 40s, Messi and C. Ronaldo will become the only players in history to play 6 World Cups next year. And we saw other players aside from the Big 3 play well into their 30s like Isner, Monfils, Gasquet, etc.

Again stop with team sports s****.Tom Brady only plays on offence with wall in front of him,and then seets on sidelines when his defence on the field.
Messi ans Ronaldo walking 80% of time doing nothing.

 

[cb4_89]

With regards to Medvedev and Tsitsipas, this seems like a motivation thing. I don't think they are training as hard as they used to when they were younger. They have been broken down over and over and over again. It stands to reason to think about how Sinner and Alcaraz would have fared if their 2024 selves were transported into 2011. They wouldn't have had the success they had and the question is would it have stopped their momentum? I imagine they would have won a slam here and there and been ready to capitalize in some of the later periods, but those losses would have hurt.

 

[cb4_89]

The Big 3 are an "anomaly" and very hard to replicate. However, we are now seeing in sports that longevity is increasing. Tom Brady was winning Super Bowls in his 40s, Messi and C. Ronaldo will become the only players in history to play 6 World Cups next year. And we saw other players aside from the Big 3 play well into their 30s like Isner, Monfils, Gasquet, etc.

Probably none of those guys were the best player in the world anytime recently. Djokovic made the SF of all 4 slams this year. Brady is a bit of an anomaly but football is the ultimate team sport and the QB position is one of the least requiring of athleticism.

 

[ChrisDeku]

Why people on MTF comparing team sports to individual sport?no sub or rest in the middle of the match,let alone teammates saving your choking ass.
Its not complicated

Have you watched any boxing recently? Most guys are peaking in their 30's and people close to 40 are regularly undisputed champions of their weight class.

The current top 5 rated pound per pound fighters are aged 37, 38, 32, 34 and 40.

 

[del piero]

Have you watched any boxing recently? Most guys are peaking in their 30's and people close to 40 are regularly undisputed champions of their weight class.

The current top 5 rated pound per pound fighters are aged 37, 38, 32, 34 and 40.

Are there fights every other day or once per couple months?
Ridiculous post.

 

[BurnsTennis]

Are there fights every other day or once per couple months?
Ridiculous post.

In the heavyweight decision, it is not uncommon for the very top fighters to have one fight per year. Top heavyweight fighters used to have two to three fights a year in previous decades.

 

[BauerAlmeida]

Again stop with team sports s****.Tom Brady only plays on offence with wall in front of him,and then seets on sidelines when his defence on the field.
Messi ans Ronaldo walking 80% of time doing nothing.

The other athletes in their respective sports were also playing team sports; we are comparing between the same sport not with other sports.

 

[ChrisDeku]

Are there fights every other day or once per couple months?
Ridiculous post.

So first it’s only individual sports, then it has to be a sport that plays every other day? How much farther do you want to move those goal posts?

So is it your claim that if Djokovic only plays one match next year he would be the favourite in that match vs Sinner or Alcaraz? What about just one tournament? Still favourite? What about one tournament every 6 months?

No? Sit down, idiot.

 

[Litotes]

Have you watched any boxing recently? Most guys are peaking in their 30's and people close to 40 are regularly undisputed champions of their weight class.

The current top 5 rated pound per pound fighters are aged 37, 38, 32, 34 and 40.

That’s not really a change though. In the 90’s we had Foreman and Holyfield as champions, as old or older than the current bunch. Way before that Sugar Ray Robinson was still competitive past 40. We’re looking for evidence that current champions are getting older than in the past, and boxing doesn’t give us that. It just tells us boxing has always been a sport where you can compete for a very long time.

 

[Lorenzo P]

So first it’s only individual sports, then it has to be a sport that plays every other day? How much farther do you want to move those goal posts?

So is it your claim that if Djokovic only plays one match next year he would be the favourite in that match vs Sinner or Alcaraz? What about just one tournament? Still favourite? What about one tournament every 6 months?

No? Sit down, idiot.

Bro

Top fighters have only 1 fight for year

Slams in tennis requires 2 weeks of top performances

Tennis is too much a physical sport: no one can survive after turning 27-30

 

[Chipmaster]

Tennis is clearly closer to athletics than to boxing, MMA or weight lifting - in those sports it´s common to peak in your 30´s, but it´s very rare in athletics. Usain Bolt was considered a veteran when he won his last 100m Olympic gold at the age of 29. And he retired the year after. His peak was the age of 22-23 years old. And he´s from the same generation as Nadal or Djokovic, so you can´t say he didn´t have access to "advanced medicine".

 

[SetSampras]

People thinking Sinner/Alcaraz will match Big 3 longevity are INSANE. They are the very rare exception to the rule. I bet Sinner/Alcaraz are done in 4 years and we will have a completely new top 2-5 guys. . they're already breaking down physically and they're only 22/24. Not to mention sinner is 6'4 and weighs 98 pounds. Alcaraz's limbs are already starting to take the brunt of his playing styles

for anyone to match Big 3 status requires dominance into your 30's. Not happening with anyone. Not like they did it. If it does happen it definitely won't be 6 feet 12 inch, 64 pound Sinner and Carlos "I have to run 200 miles a day and slide all over to win a tennis match sprained ankles " Alcaraz

 

[SetSampras]

Tennis is clearly closer to athletics than to boxing, MMA or weight lifting - in those sports it´s common to peak in your 30´s, but it´s very rare in athletics. Usain Bolt was considered a veteran when he won his last 100m Olympic gold at the age of 29. And he retired the year after. His peak was the age of 22-23 years old. And he´s from the same generation as Nadal or Djokovic, so you can´t say he didn´t have access to "advanced medicine".

And even Bolt had a cheat code with all those long legs/strides of his. Alcaraz/Sinner don't have cheat code. Fedal had a cheat code. Their Forehands. Djokovic (no real cheat code just more fortunate than anything due to the rotten 2018-2013 field. I doubt the future gen coming up is a bad as the Med/Zverev/Tstsipas one)

 

[artoisdesouza]

The Big Three were extraordinary in terms of managing to stay at the top for so long. But it seems fairly clear that many other players of their generation have been able to have extended careers, compared to previous generations.

If you look at the list of Y/E top 20 players from 2014, it was made up mostly of '80s-born players. Even taking the Big Three out of the equation, there are quite a number of players in that list with 20+ year careers (Wawrinka, Cilic, Feli Lopez, RBA, Robredo, Monfils, Fognini). And even the players who had the shortest careers in that list still played for 16 or 17 years (Berdych, Kevin Anderson, Isner). I'm not saying that they didn't decline with age, because it's obvious that they all did, but they still carried on, or are carrying on, with life on the tour.

There are examples of players from earlier eras who also had very long and successful careers (e.g. Rosewall and Connors), but it definitely seems to be have become more common for players to extend their careers in recent times, both 'great' players and 'good' players. It seems likely, at least in part, to be due to advances in sports medicine, although there may be other factors as well (e.g. more financial rewards, easier to travel and have multiple homes and fly families out to tournaments, and group mentality).

Going back to that list of top 20 players from 2014, the three youngest on the list are Nishikori, Raonic and Dimitrov. And I know there's a pitfall in drawing conclusions from too small a data set, but it is interesting that all three have been laid low by injuries. Possibly going forwards, we might see the average length of player careers get shorter again if modern baseline-dominated power tennis is too wearing on the body.

 

[Lorenzo P]

And even Bolt had a cheat code with all those long legs/strides of his. Alcaraz/Sinner don't have cheat code. Fedal had a cheat code. Their Forehands. Djokovic (no real cheat code just more fortunate than anything due to the rotten 2018-2013 field. I doubt the future gen coming up is a bad as the Med/Zverev/Tstsipas one)

Maybe the Alcaraz cheat code is his physique but the more old you get the more work you need to do in gym to maintain such physique

Has Alcaraz the will to do it?

 

[FlyingKite]

Big 3 vultured everything due to the lost 90s gen. All of them are vultures.

 

[Moozza]

Yet another poster who believes that the big 3 are 'freaks of nature'. Nay, they aren't. They have only benefited from advances in medicine and nutrition. Look at Serena, look at Messi, Ronaldo, Usyk and Kipchuge.

Wait for another decade - unless Sincaraz succumb to career threatening injuries, you will see them winning slams in their mid-30s.

And then some new revisionist stories will pop up.

Messi is in MLS. Ronaldo in Saudi. They are past their prime. Usyk is obviously still no.1. Never heard of Kip huge.

I really don’t see mid 30’s guys winning slams becoming the norm in tennis. With the big 3 it required a perfect storm of being GOAT level tennis players, no major injuries and a very poor standard of emerging player.