By Dave Worsley* at Flushing Meadows
Australia's Alexei Popyrin shakes hands with Novak Djokovic after winning their third-round singles match at the 2024 US Open. Photo: SARAH STIER /GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA via AFP
It's taken over 20 years, but one of the best chapters in world sport has finally had its ending and the phrase the "changing of the guard" can actually be used.
It's a major statistic in sport that for the first year since 2002 there has not been the name of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic on a Grand Slam winning trophy.
The Big Three are gone - unless Djokovic does something special at the Australian Open in January 2025.
Federer started their winning streak at Wimbledon in 2003, before Nadal won the French Open in 2005 and it rolled on from there, with Djokovic picking up his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2008.
With Djokovic's early exit from the US Open in the first week of the tournament to Australia's Alexei Popyrin it means there was no chance of the Big Three winning a Slam in 2024.
Since 2003, there have been 84 Grand Slams in total. Sixty-six were won by Federer, Nadal or Djokovic; another three each by Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray. That's a massive dominance by so few players, particularly ones who became almost unbeatable on particular surfaces.
Djokovic has won 10 Australian Opens; Nadal, 14 French Opens; and Federer had eight Wimbledon titles.
For many years, the talk was around who would take over - and so many players failed to live up to the billing.
Possibly now it's Carlos Alcaraz with four Slam titles, although he also lost early in New York. Meanwhile, Yannik Sinner continues his run in New York and has the Australian Open in January to his credit. They're the two obvious choices to take over the mantle as the best players.
Djokovic may end his career on 24 Grand Slam titles, Nadal 22 and Federer 20. For those who have seen them play, it's an honour to have had three of the greatest ever compete at the same time.
The possibility of anyone surpassing them won't occur for a very long time.
*Dave Worsley is a longtime sports correspondent specialising in tennis.
