Novak Djokovic announces his wedding…..

When a star bursts into light, it is more often than not part of a multiple star system, gravitationally bound to its other counterparts, orbiting around the center of gravity between them, each one’s cosmic position utterly dependent on the other.

For more than 20 years, men’s tennis has conformed to this pattern, too – its three biggest stars bound together; their legacies, achievements and careers entwined with their rivalries. During this time, the sport itself has sometimes seemed like a planet simply orbiting around the careers of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, as they hoovered up 66 of the 81 grand slam singles titles available between 2003 and 2023.

But this year, men’s tennis has had a different complexion since none of Federer, Nadal or Djokovic has won a grand slam title for the first time since 2002. Though Djokovic is still able to challenge for the biggest titles – as evidenced by his Olympic gold medal in August – it is now possible to see the shape of men’s tennis without the Big Three, and the complete impact they have left on the sport.

Whatever comes next is unlikely to mirror the previous era, leaving men’s tennis in an unfamiliar position, shorn of its three biggest icons who transcended the court. But they are leaving the sport in a healthy position, full of promising young players primed to occupy the space between sport and pop culture that remains.

‘The shift of power’

The era of the so-called Big Three has been waning for a while. Federer retired in 2022; Nadal’s brilliance has been sapped by recent injuries and he has said his own retirement date is close; Andy Murray, who consistently challenged the Big Three’s dominance and won three grand slam titles himself, retired last month as well.