As the 2017 Us Open is done and dusted, the Grand Slam treat for this season is over and it came down to a two-sided affair with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer taking shifts to riding the wave. An even split of glory with the Spaniard showing a slightly superior level of consistency as he has made it into three Major finals. On the other side, Federer deserves all the credits for not giving it up despite turning 36 years of age earlier this summer. Overall, it's been a back-to-roots season as the vintage air of the mid-2000s' swept through all big tennis venues of the world.
Back in January, when Federer and Nadal went on to set an improbable final in Melbourne, Australia, it all seemed like a fortunate glitch or an accident due to the lack of firepower from Djokovic or Murray, the world No. 1at the moment. Instead, it was the crucial clue of what was about to come next. Federer was ranked 17th in the world before the Australian Open while Rafael Nadal was struggling to keep his head inside the top 10. Fast forward, eight months later, Nadal is the world No. 1 with Federer trailing as the second seat's occupant.
The NextGen had a disappointing Grand Slam record
There have been constant debates of who's going to replace the current establishment in men's tennis. And, of course, there are some interesting worth-watching names in the box even though there is no sure bet yet.
Alexander Zverev seemed to have found the winning recipe after capturing his first two Masters 1000 titles in Rome and in Montreal. But, immediately after he went on to disappoint in the Grand Slam contest whether it was about Roland Garros (right after his Rome success) or the US Open (two weeks after his Rogers Cup triumph).
In his case, it wasn't about a tough draw or something similar as his biggest challenge is to deal with the Grand Slam pressure and the format of the game (3 out of 5).
The new wave of ATP stars has put its hopes on others too. Nick Kyrgios might be the biggest disappointment of the season as the 22-year-old Aussie has been fluctuating for the most of the season.
The lack of work ethic and a proper training made him subject to multiple injuries and a lower level of stamina. Grigor Dimitrov is no longer an ATP hope as the Bulgarian is 26-year-old by now. He did win in Cincinnati, but it's a small return after years of high-expectations from his side.
The last Grand Slam of the year, the 2017 US Open has revealed few more unpolished diamonds as Denis Shapovalov, Andrey Rublev or Borna Coric has shown few glimpses of how future of men's tennis may look like. Their progress, if any, will be interesting to watch throughout the next season. BY the end of the year they should use the tournaments left to build up their ranking to increase their odds to succeed.
An era that seems never to end
It's been more than fourteen years since Roger Federer won his first Wimbledon back in 2003 and twelve since Rafael Nadal made it to his first French Open crown. With their late surge in 2017, it seems that their time at the top of the game may not be over yet. The difficulties the younger generation has in replacing these two while Djokovic and Murray are absent from the ATP Tour may indicate that a weaker pack of tennis players is in the making. And it's bad news for the average tennis fan too, a fan that is used to see epic blockbusters several times a year.
It's a pressure that the young generation must learn to deal with. It'll never be easy to replace Federer, Nadal, Djokovic or Murray on a center court somewhere, sometime in the future.