The year 2024 has marked a significant record in tennis history, as it will be the first year since 2003 when no member from the famous “Big Four” will have any Grand Slam title under their name. The Big Four is the title given to the group of four tennis players, i.e., Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. They received the title as they reached more semifinals than any other players during the peak of their careers.
Roger Federer was the first to debut among the Big Four in 1998, followed by Rafael Nadal in 2001, Novak Djokovic in 2003, and Andy Murray in 2005. Over the course of two decades, the Big Four won a combined 69 Grand Slam titles, out of which Djokovic, with 24 Grand Slams, won the most titles, followed by Rafael Nadal with 22, Roger Federer with 20, and Andy Murray with 3.
From 2003 to 2024, 87 major Grand Slam tournaments were played, out of which 78 featured at least one member of the Big Four in the finals. The only nine instances where they missed out on finals were the 2003, 2005, and 2007 Australian Open; 2003, 2004, and 2024 French Open; and 2003, 2014, 2020, 2022, and 2024 US Open.
They occupied the final four positions on four occasions: the 2008 US Open, 2011 French Open, 2011 US Open, and 2012 Australian Open.
Their dominance was not limited to Grand Slam tournaments only, as between 2007 and 2022, they combined to win 98 of the 112 ATP Masters finals, with Djokovic once again leading the chart with 38 titles, followed by Nadal with 30, Federer with 16, and Murray with 14.
Head-to-head rivalries
Out of the Big Four, only Djokovic has a better head-to-head record against every other member of the group. He leads Nadal 31-29, Federer 27-23, and Murray 25-11. Meanwhile, Nadal leads Federer 26-24 and Murray 17-7, while Federer leads Murray 14-11. This makes Murray the only Big Four member with no lead over any of the others in head-to-head records.
Started four, and then there were two
Currently, only Djokovic and Nadal are active players in the quartet. The first to retire was Roger Federer, who called curtains on his career in 2022, while Andy Murray announced his retirement after the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Out of the two active players, Nadal might be very close to calling his final day on the court, as the Spaniard has been dealing with constant injuries for the last couple of years. Djokovic, although without similar issues as his fellow Big Four members, is now 37 years old, and with age catching up, it is hard to imagine that he will be around for long and able to keep the legacy of the Big Four going.
First Published: Sep 08 2024 | 6:43 PM IS