The Big Four of Tennis: Part II
The previous instalment of this article discussed the Big Four of Tennis; as is the custom in every sport, there is always a set of players who has made a name for themselves which is beyond the normal achievements of other players in the same arena. Tennis
is no different from these rules; in fact, given that it is almost entirely a solo sport, players generally make more of a name for themselves as long as they fulfil the basic tenets of skill, talent and determination, and progress beyond their competition.
There are, as discussed, four such players in tennis. These players are often referred to as “the Big Four” of tennis. They are, in order of Association of Tennis Professionals rankings, Rafael “Rafa” Nadal, Roger “the Maestro” Federer, Novak “Nole” Djokovic
and British Andrew “Andy” Murray. These four players are, by general consensus, considered most likely to win a Grand Slam in the year 2011, or to finish the year one of the top five ATP Players. Many critics believe that there are no currently no players
like these, who possess every quality required to line themselves on top of the world of tennis.
In the first part of this double-installment series, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were analyzed. Part II details achievements of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Let’s take a look at the other two players and their claims to fame.
3) Novak Djokovic: this Serbian 23 year old is currently ranked World Number 3 on the Association of Tennis Professionals rankings, one spot behind Roger Federer. He held the World Number 2 position for a few days last week, before Federer
resurfaced as runner-up to Andy Murray at Shanghai and claimed the World Number 2 slot for himself.
Djokovic, or Nole as he is known to fans, has captured victory at the 2008 Australian Open, winning his solo Grand Slam singles title and also becoming the first player who won a Grand Slam title while representing Serbia. He is the youngest player of the
Open Era to have played in the semi finals of all four Majors. Nole was also a finalist at two US Open tournaments, the first being in 2007 and the second, this year. He has earned himself a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games for Serbia, in addition to
which Novak Djkovic is also the holder of the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup. He has been met with success at five Masters Series events.
4) Andy Murray: Scottish player Andy Murray is 23 years old, and currently holds the position of Britain’s World Number 1. The Association of Tennis Professionals currently ranks him at World Number 4, but he held the World Number 2 ranking
from 17 to 31 August, 2009. He has participated in two Grand Slam finals, and was beaten at both the 2008 US Open final and this year’s Australian Open final by Roger Federer. However, he achieved victory over Roger Federer last week at the 2010 Shanghai Rolex
Masters, defeating the Maestro in straight sets.
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