Really feels like your next book should be about the reign of the Big 3 in tennis… I barely watch any tennis at all, and yet your posts on this trio are always some of my favorite of your writing. I know I’d snatch up that book in a heartbeat.
I feel fairly confident a book about the three greatest tennis players of all time, written by the world’s greatest sportswriter, would sell a lot of books…
That list of majors won by the Big 3 is a remarkable graphic.And the 10 years from 2014 to 2013? They won 3 majors 5 of those years, and 4 majors 5 of those years. They basically were in the major leagues while everyone else was in AA minor league.
Wonder in that 20+ time period how many times one of them finished second to one of the others.
Well the answer is that one of the big 3 lost to one of the other 2 in Major finals as follows:
Australian - 4 times
French - 7 times
Wimbledon - 7 times
US Open - 5 times
Total of 23 second places to other big 3 opponent
There were also numerous times that one of them finished second to someone else
This reminds me of another similar stat: everyone knows Nicklaus won 18 majors. What many people find unfathomable is how many times he finished SECOND in a major: 19. Thirty-seven times he teed it up in one of the four pro majors and finished either first or second. A simply spectacular record of dominance in a game that resists it.
Always appreciate and love the tennis content, but also feeling we are throwing dirt on Nole just a little early. He hasn’t been particularly healthy all year, made the Wimbledon final a month after knee surgery and beat Alcaraz for Olympic gold. Alcaraz and Sinner can reach higher levels now, but Carlos has more surprising no shows than the Big 3 ever did and I need to see Sinner play at a high level without suspicion from an Anabolic massage. Time is undefeated and Novak’s time in near, but I’d be surprised if he’s not right in the mix in Australia in January and could see another major or two next year.
How much does Djokovic care about breaking the tie with Margaret Court for most majors won? Different era, different category, but I’d still think it would be an important milestone
My tennis knowledge is completely superficial - basically being aware of who won the grand slams when they’re played - but when I think of men’s tennis in my lifetime, it’s something like this:
Comparing Stan Wawrinka to Andy Murray is like comparing Eli Manning to Peyton Manning. They have the same number of the top prizes (3 majors, 2 Super Bowls), but one is far superior to the other. In terms of career accomplishments, Wawrinka is much closer to David Ferrer than he is to Andy Murray. Ferrer won 11 more titles than Wawrinka, and made nearly twice as many major QFs (45 to 24).
Alas, he should be. He - like Thiem - had to get a wildcard to play the US Open. Even Richard Gasquet, also with a gorgeous one-handed backhand, had to play qualifying, but only won one match, so didn't make the main draw.
it's crazy how long this Big 3 era has lasted. but i'm not completely ready to call it over -- I wouldn't be surprised if Novak comes back to win 2 of the GS tourneys next year.
Brilliant
Really feels like your next book should be about the reign of the Big 3 in tennis… I barely watch any tennis at all, and yet your posts on this trio are always some of my favorite of your writing. I know I’d snatch up that book in a heartbeat.
But Joe (and his publisher) actually want to sell a *lot* of books, not just 137 copies.
I feel fairly confident a book about the three greatest tennis players of all time, written by the world’s greatest sportswriter, would sell a lot of books…
That list of majors won by the Big 3 is a remarkable graphic.And the 10 years from 2014 to 2013? They won 3 majors 5 of those years, and 4 majors 5 of those years. They basically were in the major leagues while everyone else was in AA minor league.
Wonder in that 20+ time period how many times one of them finished second to one of the others.
Well the answer is that one of the big 3 lost to one of the other 2 in Major finals as follows:
Australian - 4 times
French - 7 times
Wimbledon - 7 times
US Open - 5 times
Total of 23 second places to other big 3 opponent
There were also numerous times that one of them finished second to someone else
This reminds me of another similar stat: everyone knows Nicklaus won 18 majors. What many people find unfathomable is how many times he finished SECOND in a major: 19. Thirty-seven times he teed it up in one of the four pro majors and finished either first or second. A simply spectacular record of dominance in a game that resists it.
Spot on, Joe. I love the list of groups of athletes, of a time, who were special in part because they challenged each other.
When Joe writes your sports eulogy, you almost don't mind leaving the stage.
Always appreciate and love the tennis content, but also feeling we are throwing dirt on Nole just a little early. He hasn’t been particularly healthy all year, made the Wimbledon final a month after knee surgery and beat Alcaraz for Olympic gold. Alcaraz and Sinner can reach higher levels now, but Carlos has more surprising no shows than the Big 3 ever did and I need to see Sinner play at a high level without suspicion from an Anabolic massage. Time is undefeated and Novak’s time in near, but I’d be surprised if he’s not right in the mix in Australia in January and could see another major or two next year.
"He hasn’t been particularly healthy all year". That is the beginning of the end for a lot of athletes in a lot of sports.
All three are remarkable, but I will never forget the wonder I felt watching Federer move on the court. Thanks for yet another great tennis read.
I’m with you. For me it was always Federer.
How much does Djokovic care about breaking the tie with Margaret Court for most majors won? Different era, different category, but I’d still think it would be an important milestone
You had me at David Foster Wallace.
Mantle and Mays and Aaron and Musial.
Hope you're feeling better!
Stan crosses multiple generations but I still have him in my mind with Williams and DiMaggio.
After thinking it over I have to agree. Thanks.
Jimmy Connors (remember him?) said it best about Nadal: "He plays like he's broke"
I had never seen that quote, and I agree with it utterly. Thanks for sharing it.
Always love your tennis writings Joe. Still hopeful a tennis book is in your future someday.
My tennis knowledge is completely superficial - basically being aware of who won the grand slams when they’re played - but when I think of men’s tennis in my lifetime, it’s something like this:
mid 70’s - mid 80’s: Borg, Connors, McEnroe
mid 80’s - early/mid 90’s: Lendl, Becker, maybe Edberg
early/mid 90’s - early 00’s: Sampras and Agassi
It’s hard to imagine any of those eras lasting twice as long. It’ll be interesting to see if this next generation does or not.
Stan Wawrinka deserves a mention as an almost Big 3 also. His backhand is still a thing of beauty!
Comparing Stan Wawrinka to Andy Murray is like comparing Eli Manning to Peyton Manning. They have the same number of the top prizes (3 majors, 2 Super Bowls), but one is far superior to the other. In terms of career accomplishments, Wawrinka is much closer to David Ferrer than he is to Andy Murray. Ferrer won 11 more titles than Wawrinka, and made nearly twice as many major QFs (45 to 24).
Agreed, but he isn’t talking about retirement just yet!
Alas, he should be. He - like Thiem - had to get a wildcard to play the US Open. Even Richard Gasquet, also with a gorgeous one-handed backhand, had to play qualifying, but only won one match, so didn't make the main draw.
it's crazy how long this Big 3 era has lasted. but i'm not completely ready to call it over -- I wouldn't be surprised if Novak comes back to win 2 of the GS tourneys next year.
Great piece, Joe. I called it three months ago, but first isn't always right, as Novak proved at the Olympics
https://open.substack.com/pub/deanchadwin/p/the-big-3-era-ends-with-a-whimper?r=4tgh6&utm_medium=ios