Larger than a golf ball, and yellow
I watched a bit of Wimbledon today, thought about something, and went to Wikipedia for confirmation.I found an article referencing 'the Big Four' (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray), which I assume was written by one of Murray's family members, because I see those four names and immediately think "Which one of these things is not like the others?"
Single quotes, double quotes, whatever. I'm eating shredded cheese and mini-saltines for lunch. With difficulty.
The numbers are incredible. Those four players have won the following:
13 out of the last 14 Australian Opens
13 out of the last 14 French Opens
14 out of the last 14 Wimbledons
12 out of the last 14 U.S. Opens
That's incredible, but I think it's starting to hurt tennis. Federer is 37, Nadal is 33, Djokovic is 32, and Murray is 32. These guys (the Big Three, anyway) have been so dominant for so long that the younger players haven't been in championship situations in the Grand Slams. It's like a forest where there's no new growth because the existing trees control the canopy.
There's a normal process of aging and replacement in tennis. Male players after 30 win Slams as an exception, not the rule. But the normal relationships between age and performance have been entirely upended.
Making it even more complicated is that at least two of the three (Federer and Nadal) have an enormous amount of charisma. Their personalities are as large as their games, and that squeezes out interest in young players.
In the semis at Wimbledon: all three. And if Murray hadn't been hurt, it would probably be all four.
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