I don’t play tennis. In fact, as much as people will line up to pay to watch matches at Wimbledon, they’d probably pay me to never pick up a racket. That goes for most sports. I’ve always been a sports enthusiast and have written sports for college and local newspapers. I love sports, and I get their role in our society. They give us champions to root for, and they give us connection with our schools, our communities, our nations and our world.
That understanding is why I’m awed by the current era of men’s professional tennis. Three of the biggest giants in the history of the sport — arguably the biggest titans in the history of the sport — have now won 20 major titles each. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are now tied with the most-ever grand slam titles. Stunningly, their shared record of 20 is six more than the closest competitor — Pete Sampras, who ended his career with 14. More stunning is that the closest active competitors are Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, who have three apiece. And even more amazing is that all three are still active and will likely continue to pile up titles in the coming years.
The most dominant of the three is currently Djokovic, who dispatched an extremely powerful Mateo Berrettini in the Wimbledon final on Sunday. Since 2011, Djokovic has won 18 of his 20 major titles. Federer and Nadal have a combined 16 major titles in the same time. And while the three have a combined 60 titles since 2003, only 14 majors since then have have finished with a winner whose last name wasn’t Federer, Djokovic or Nadal.
As I watched the Wimbledon broadcast Sunday, I listened to these facts and shook my head. It just doesn’t seem real that three players, playing in the same 18-year span, could amass that many titles each. One player getting 20 titles would be incredible. Three players doing that is surreal. But when I placed the titles into a color-coded table, it really jumped out at me. The dominance of these men is simply unsurpassed.
Now, even more history potentially awaits. Djokovic will turn his attention to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (starting July 24), and then to the U.S. Open (starting August 30). He has the opportunity to complete something that only one tennis player has ever accomplished — the so-called “Golden Slam,” which happens when a player wins all four majors plus the Olympic gold medal. Steffi Graf did this in 1988, and Djokovic can become the first man to accomplish this feat. Even without the medal, he can also become just the third man ever (and the first since Rod Laver did it 1969) to achieve a calendar-year Grand Slam.
Facts like these make this a fun time to follow tennis, and you don’t have to be an expert in in the sport, or even functional on the court. So mark July 24 and August 30 on your calendar and set your DVR to record. And don’t miss the significance of the history that you’re watching. We’ll likely not see anything like this again in our lifetime.
Copyright © 2021 Doug DeBolt.
