Roger Federer, right, of Switzerland congratulates Novak Djokovic of Serbia after their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016.(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
ASSOCIATED PRESSAndy Roddick was only 29 when he retired after the US Open seven years ago.
The big-serving American had won one Grand Slam title at the 2003 US Open and lost three Wimbledon finals -- all to Roger Federer. Roddick also fell to Federer in two Australian Open semifinals.
If it wasn't for the Swiss Maestro, Roddick might have a handful more majors on his résumé .
Now he watches from retirement as the 'Big Three' of Federer (38), Rafael Nadal (33) and Novak Djokovic (32) have robbed an entire generation of Grand Slam titles. The trio have won the last 11 majors and an incredible 54 of 65 since the 2003 Wimbledon. Federer (20 majors), Nadal (18) and Djokovic (16) are contending to finish with the most majors in the history of men's tennis.
"I feel like those guys have taken away an entire generation of Grand Slam winners," Roddick, now 36, said last week at the Open.
Roddick points to Dominic Thiem, the 25-year-old Austrian who has lost back-to-back French Open finals and before that one semifinal to Nadal, the 12-time Roland Garros winner.
"Thiem, he's a three-time French Open winner if it's not for that guy named Rafa," Roddick said.
Consider that a quartet of top players slightly older than Thiem -- Marin Cilic (30), Kei Nishikori (29), Milos Raonic (28) and Grigor Dimitrov (28) -- have combined to win just one Grand Slam title, won by Cilic over Nishikori in the 2014 US Open final.
Other than the "Big Three" and 34-year-old Stan Wawrinka, Cilic is the only player in the men's draw with a Grand Slam title on his résumé. Andy Murray, who has won three majors, and Juan Martin Del Potro, the 2009 US Open winner and last year's runner-up, both are not in the draw due to injuries.
Since Wimbledon 2003, only 11 of 65 majors have been won by men not named Federer, Nadal or Djokovic. Of those 11, Murray and Wawrinka account for six.
Of the remaining five, three were won by men who have retired: Roddick, Gaston Gaudio (2004 French Open) and Marat Safin (2005 Australian Open). Del Potro and Cilic are the others.
The "Big Three" remain the heavy favorites to win this year's US Open title, followed by the red-hot Russian Daniil Medvedev (13/1). Thiem, Greek sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas and mercurial Australian Nick Kyrgios are both at 32/1, with Wawrinka at 48/1 and German Alexander Zverev next at 55/1.
With the exception of Wawrinka, those guys are all in their early 20s, younger than the Cilic/Nishikori/Raonic/Dimitrov generation who now seem almost passé
Cilic and Raonic are both at 55/1 to win the Open, Nishikori is at 70/1 and Dimitrov at 100/1.
"I hope I can come back to that stage again, playing final in Grand Slam," Nishikori said Friday. "I hope I can play differently. That's always something I think. Always excited to play this tournament."
Marin Cilic is one of only two players in the men's draw not named Federer, Nadal or Djokovic to win a Grand Slam title. (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
GettyMedvedev, 23, may have the best shot outside the "Big Three." He is the most in-form player, having reached the finals in Montreal and Washington, D.C. before beating Djokovic in the semifinals en route to the title in Cincinnati.
He is now ranked No. 5 in the world and could face defending champ Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
"If I have to stay with someone who can surprise me, I would say Medvedev," four-time US Open champ John McEnroe said. "It depends on how you manage your energy and if you reach the final rounds.”
Roddick also likes Medvedev, but is curious to see how he performs in New York. His best result at a Grand Slam is reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open this year.
"Medvedev is kind of like meat and potatoes," Roddick said. "Everything he does, it doesn't jump off the page but all of a sudden he's won 3 and 3 or 3 and 4. He's obviously the in-form player, I don't think he's ever been to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam before so Cincinnati's one thing, New York City under the lights is another."
Stefanos Tsitsipas, of Greece, watches a return during practice for the U.S. Open tennis tournament Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
ASSOCIATED PRESSTsitsipas, 21, beat Federer in the fourth round of the Australian Open and made a run to the semifinals, before getting crushed by Nadal.
He's certainly one of the young guns who could win a major in the future as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic age.
"Tsitsipas has this amazong flair, he's fun to watch," Roddick said. "When he does something great, it just looks really cool."
Kyrgios, 24, won the title in Washington, D.C., but has never been past the quarters at a major and never past the third round at the Open. Despite his vast talents, he openly admits he doesn't train as hard as he could.
Zverev, 22, is No. 6 in the world but has continually struggled at majors and never advanced past the quarters.
The two young Canadian stars, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime, must once again play each other in the first round, guaranteeing that one of them will be eliminated from a run.
Young Americans like Reilly Opelka and Frances Tiafoe are on the rise, but it may be too early to expect them to contend for major titles.
"There's a lot to like," Roddick said. "You hope one of these guys, maybe it's a breakout tournament. It would shake things up a little bit but I'm pretty sure those three legends [Federer, Nadal and Djokovic] will have something to say about it."
Federer concurred.
"Yeah," he said, "it seems like the same guys are the favorites again this time around. It will be a surprise if anybody else won."
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August 26, 2019 at 12:26AM
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