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Thursday / March 28.
  • Big 4 Domination of Tennis Will End, But Not Anytime Soon

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    Big 4NEW YORK — After winning the U.S. Open in rather easy fashion Monday evening, Marin Cilic proclaimed that he was part of a new wave ready to threaten the Big 4’s domination of tennis.

    “A lot of guys are saying that people would like to watch the top four guys extend their streak at the top and extend their run at the Grand Slams, because they attract the most fans and TV viewership,” Cilic said after trouncing Japan’s Kei Nishikori, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in under two hours to win his first major title.

    “[But] one day they are going to go out and there’s going to be a need for [another player]. There’s going to be much bigger competition… The game is definitely going to evolve much more.”

    Cilic’s accomplishments in New York were certainly impressive. The 6-foot-6, 25-year-old Croat beat Tomas Berdych, Roger Federer and Nishikori in straight sets en route to the title.

    He won the semis and finals in under two hours each, an amazing display of dominance in an age when Grand Slam finals routinely last four-plus hours.

    For the first time since the Australian Open in 2005, a major final did not feature a member of the Big 4 of Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.

    Are the Big 4 vulnerable?

    Sure, you can easily make that case.

    Federer is 33, has four kids and hasn’t won a major since Wimbledon 2012.

    Nadal missed the U.S. Open with a wrist injury and will always face questions about his long-term durability given his physical style of play and the toll it takes on his body.

    Djokovic is newly married, expecting a child and looked out of sorts this summer on the hardcourt circuit.

    Murray hasn’t been the same player since winning Wimbledon in 2013 and subsequently undergoing back surgery. When the new rankings come out, the Scot will drop out of the Top 10.

    Meantime, a younger generation appears hungry to take them out.

    Cilic, 25, Nishikori, 24, and 23-year-olds Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov are leading the way.

    “Yeah, I think it’s bring good news for the tennis,” Nishikori said. “A lot of young guys are coming up. Dimitrov, Raonic did semis in Wimbledon. I think it’s great for the tennis.”

    Still, don’t expect the Big 4 to suddenly fall apart and stop winning major titles.

    “You said the same in Australia, everybody; and then we know what happened at the French Open final, Wimbledon final,” an annoyed Federer said.

    Of course, after Stan Wawrinka won the Australian to upset the Big 4’s dominance (beating a hobbled Nadal in the process), order was restored at the French — where Nadal won his ninth Roland Garros title, over Djokovic — and at Wimbledon — where Djokovic outlasted Federer in a five-set thriller.

    Despite Cilic’s win, the Big 4 have still accounted for 36 of the last 39 Grand Slam titles.

    While Federer is 33, he did reach the Wimbledon finals and the U.S. Open semis this year.

    Nadal is 28 and Djokovic and Murray are each 27, hardly ready for the senior tour.

    Who’s to say that Big 4 dominance won’t re-emerge at the Australian Open in January, where Federer, Djokovic and Nadal had won eight straight titles before Wawrinka’s win?

    As for the French Open, Nadal remains the favorite there for the foreseeable future after winning nine championships in the last 10 years.

    The next chapter of the Big 4 story won’t unfold until the Australian Open in January, and the jury may not be fully in for another few years.

    But while the young guys made an impressive run in New York, the Big 4 are hardly done dominating.

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    Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.

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