At US Open, the Big Four question

The year’s final Grand Slam will throw signs on whether the Djokovic-federer-murray-nadal era of dominance is weaning away

ON THE way to a Wimbledon final this summer, Milos Raonic took a crash course in the attitudinal psychology of advanced men’s tennis. The curriculum offered a straightforward application of positive thinking, said his instructor, or coach, Carlos Moyá.”what I tried to convince Milos is that this Big Four thing, it’s over,” Moyá said.

Foregone conclusion, or wishful thinking? Headingintotheunitedstatesopen,theyear’s final Grand Slam tournament, the answer on bothcounts-dependingonthecriteria-isyes. The chronically injured Rafael Nadal never did make it to London after withdrawing from the third round of his beloved French Open with a bad wrist. Novak Djokovic, the holder of all four Grand Slam tournament titles before Wimbledon, was stunned there in the third round by the American Sam Querrey. That opened the door for Raonic, the 6-foot-5 power-serving Canadian, to rally against an aging and ailing Roger Federer in the semifinals from a two-sets-to-one deficit.

Leftinraonic’spathtoafirstmajortitleand perhaps a new men’s tour order was Andy Murray. The last of the establishment vanguard, Murray defended the compound and won the crown in three competitive sets, the 42nd victory for the Big Four in the last 46 Grand Slam (or big four) events.

Even without a breakthrough by Raonic or a handful of other next-generation ordained prodigies, the men’s game - driven by a familiar and popular narrative for the better part of a decade - has felt the ground shift, though not yet seismically. According to Moyá, the needle has moved just enough to demonstrate that the Big Four is no more. “Even knowing that Stanwawrinkabeatdjokovicatthefrenchlast year, you still felt that these four guys were in control of the game,” he said in an interview at therogerscupintorontothismonth.“now,to me, things are different.”

Nadal, 30, has resumed playing, but Federer, 35, stepped aside after Wimbledon for the remainder of the year to rest his surgically repaired knee. Djokovic’s aura of invincibility was pierced by Querrey and then by a healthy Juan Martín del Potro in a stunning and teary-eyed first-round defeat at the Olympics.

Murray is entrenched as the world’s second-best player and has had a brilliant summer, but can he sustain his excellence long enough to make a run at the top? “The gap is still big with the two players - Djokovic and Murray,”moyásaid.“butit’saboutbeingthere, being consistent and believing that their level is going to drop, that they can be beaten now, and it’s you who can be the one.”

Not getting too far ahead of himself, Moyá meant the one at any given major, not necessarily the world’s No. 1. Querrey, who is 6 feet 6inchesandhasacareer-highrankingofno.17 in 2011, was the unlikely one who ended Djokovic’s four-slam streak in a career-definingvictorythattemporarilylefthimfeeling,he said, “like I was No. 2.”

At Wimbledon, he accepted high-fives in thelockerroomandcongratulatorytextsfrom all over. At home in Los Angeles, he threw out the first pitch at a Dodgers game. At hardcourt tournaments in Washington and Toronto, he snapped photos with fans who normally wouldhaveacknowledgedhimasaplayer,just not sure which one. “It’s kind of funny that you go around the grounds and the guys want to thank you for beating Novak,” Querrey said. “It’s not so much ‘Good job; you won.’ It’s more like ‘Good job; he lost.’”

Such had been the paradox of Djokovic’s ascendance, which in the past two years has taken the shine off the Big Four era, even as Federer defied chronological norms and chased Djokovic into major semifinals and finals, only to lose, disappointing the masses who were wishing him one more Grand Slam trophy as a topping to his record 17.

Adecadeago,whenfedererreachedalevel allhisown,thesportanditsglobalfanbasecelebrated his artistry, his supremacy, his global stature as tennis’s ambassadorial Tiger. Djokovic, a thoughtful, droll and driven Serb, has encountered waves of sentiment for Federer, still the people’s choice in most places, and for Murray, the Scotsman, at Wimbledon.

Butincompletinghiscareergrandslamin Paris in June, Djokovic was finally rewarded with an outpouring of affection by the Roland Garros crowd for how badly he wanted to win his first French Open. In Toronto, where he recovered from Wimbledon by brushing aside Kei Nishikori for the title, Djokovic called the climax in Paris an “unforgettable moment, remarkable, a divine sensation to experience, honestly.” “It’s one of those feelings that stick with you forever,” Djokovic said.

To their competitors, it can feel that long since Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Murray began their reign, though Toni Nadal, Rafa’s uncle and coach, declared the Big Four era unofficially over in 2014. That year, Wawrinka beat Djokovic and Nadal in winning his first Grand Slam title in Australia, and Marin Cilic bludgeoned Federer in the semifinals on the way to winning the United States Open. NYT

AP Reigning US Open women’s champion Flavia Pennetta looks on as men's title winner Novak Djokovic talks to the media.