Novak Djokovic says the “Big Four” dominance of the Grand Slam may soon be coming to a close, following the rise of talented young players like Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic.
The world number one, along with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, have shared 36 of the last 39 Grand Slam titles.
When Croatia’s Marin Cilic beat Japan’s Nishikori in this year’s U.S. Open final, it was the first time since the 2005 Australian Open that a men’s grand slam final did not feature either Djokovic, Nadal or Federer.
Djokovic expects the upcoming season to be even more competitive than 2014, a year that saw four different grand slam winners.
“Now it’s normal to expect that there is a new generation of players, younger players that are right at the top like Nishikori, Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov who have the quality to win against the best and they have done that. It’s definitely going to be an interesting year.”
Meanwhile, Pete Sampras echoed Djokovic’s sentiments, though he still reckons the Djokovic, Federer and Nadal trio would still likely dominate Grand Slams for awhile more.
“I see guys threatening them, but when push comes to shove, you’ll see those three guys in the second weeks of majors, in the semi-finals and finals,” he said.
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