Rafa and Roger still top dogs

Well, what odds would you have been quoted on Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer each winning a Grand Slam double at the start of the year?

Federer lifted the Australian Open and Wimbledon while Nadal added the US Open on Sunday night to his 10th French title he won earlier in the summer.

After being written off through age and injuries, nobody expected the great rivals to come out on top in 2017.

Novak Djokovic’s slump in form at the end of last year indicated that it may be time for world No.1 Andy Murray to dominate the game.

It was expected that the next generation of stars like Alex Zverev, Denis Shapovalov, Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic would all start to feature in the later rounds – perhaps even being a contender to win a major.

But instead it was the old guard who silenced their critics and proved they still have a lot left in the tank.

Federer winning Wimbledon is as iconic as Nadal winning in France and both of them deserved one last triumph on their‘home courts’.

But the problem now for the rest of the tennis world is that they may not be finished yet.

We are approaching dangerous territory when it comes to the new crop of tennis superstars because we’re caught between generations.

The big four still have a good few majors left in them but nobody looks like threatening to break up the top of the pack.

Those being tipped for the top are perhaps too raw and not ready for Grand Slam success yet.

It is an indictment on the rest of the tour that they can’t get close to 36-year-old Federer and Nadal – who has had almost as many surgeries as he does singles titles.

In 2018, you expect Murray and Djokovic to come back with a vengeance providing they enjoy an injury-free year.

But it’s time for someone to step up and challenge the top players.

They won’t be around forever and they certainly won’t be winning every Grand Slam for the next five years.

There was a time when you could virtually write off the first week of a tournament because you knew the big four would make the semi-finals.

Now there is more of an unpredictability and someone should be trying to capitalise on

The old guard silenced their critics with wins

that. When you look at the women’s game, you see unranked American Sloane Stephen winning a major for the first time and wonder who the male equivalent will be.

Stephens’ranking was skewed due to injury and missing out on a few tournaments but her story was still remarkable.

The WTA Tour is filled with an unpredictable nature which makes it even more exciting than the men’s game at the moment.

If Murray and Djokovic return on top form with a challenge from the next generation then the men’s game will kick up a gear.

Whilst the year winds down, 2018 looks set to be a cracker for tennis fans.