Alexander “Sascha” Zverev’s recent victory over Novak Djokovic in the ATP Finals at the O2 Arena in London signaled an imminent change of the guard in men’s tennis. As a result, tennis fans are rightly excited about the coming season which kicks off in Australia in January.
On the back of that result, we look at how the ’big four’ might perform in 2019 with the next generation of talent snapping at their heels.
At the start of the 2004 season, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray had not won a Grand Slam title between them. Today, they have 54 between them. And while Murray may have only won three of those, the fact he has featured in 11 finals during this golden era merits his place amongst the elite quartet.
Andy Murray
The British player has been recovering from surgery and is hoping to make a strong return in 2019. He has made successful returns from injury before and wasted no time in cutting his season short in 2018 in order to get himself back on track. He now has one eye on the first Grand Slam of the season where he is currently priced at 14/1 in the Australian Open 2019 odds. However, that event is likely to come too early for Murray to make a real impact. But, if all goes well, he could be back to his best in time for Wimbledon.
Rafa Nadal
Also no stranger to long spells out injured, Rafa Nadal will be hoping to move a step closer to Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles in 2019. The Spaniard had minor surgery on his ankle and has not played since the US Open, but he is expected to complete a full month’s training before heading to Australia. If his training goes well, Rafa could be on course for another Grand Slam or two in 2019. He is five years younger than Federer and needs three more titles to match the Swiss player’s haul. Knowing Rafa, he will give it everything he has got to reach that milestone.
Roger Federer
Speaking of Roger Federer. At the start of 2017, aged 35 and nearly five years since his last Grand Slam title, few expected him to win another. Remarkably, he bagged another three in a little over 12 months including back-to-back Aussie Opens and a record eighth Wimbledon crown. Now aged 37, he is unlikely to dominate the season and will likely pick and choose his events carefully, but only a fool would rule out another Grand Slam title.
Novak Djokovic
If any one of the ‘big four’ is going to dominate in 2019, it is Novak Djokovic. The youngest of the gang had elbow surgery in January 2018, but bounced back to win two Grand Slams (Wimbledon and US Open) and regained the World No. 1 slot. He reached a sixth-straight ATP Tour final in November, but was beaten by the aforementioned Zverev.
While Rafa Nadal chases down Federer’s record, he will also be glancing over his shoulder at the Serb who needs just three more major titles to match the Spaniard.
