Membership to this club is most certainly limited and I suspect, not categorically desired: the Grand Slam runner’s up! Undeniably, it has been arduous even to gain entry to this club with the Big Four—Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray—battling one another at the four grand slams. The last time before the 2014 US Open where a grand slam final did not feature one of these four players was the 2003 US Open, where Andy Roddick defeated the 2003 French Open champion, Juan Carlos Ferrero.
To proclaim that the big three (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic) have maintained a stranglehold on grand slam glory is an enormous understatement. Not only are they winning these elusive and illustrious titles but are, for the most part, battling one another to secure them. The window of opportunity, let alone success, for the second tier group of players has been miniscule at best.
Since 2003, when Roger Federer claimed his first of seven Wimbledon championships, the big three have won a combined total of 38 grand slam tournaments. Only four players—dating back to 2009—have been able to encroach upon their fortified kingdom: Juan Martin Del Potro, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic. Cilic and Wawrinka’s grand slam titles are even more impressive, given Federer’s and Djokovic’s consistently high level of play throughout the 2014 season, with Roger winning five titles to Novak’s seven.
It remains to be seen if Wawrinka, currently ranked fourth, and Cilic at nine can maintain their health, intensity and aggression in 2015. While Murray redeemed his 2014 season this past fall winning three indoor titles (China, Vienna, Valencia), I remain sceptical as to whether he will be a factor during the coming season given his horrendous performance and loss to Roger in round robin play at the ATP World Tour Finals. Murray has reverted to playing passive/tentative tennis. These “tactics” are counter-productive on a tour where mental and physical prowess are paramount.
Rafa Nadal also remains an unanswered question. I am doubtful he will be a grand slam contender next year despite bouncing back in years past following serious injury. In 2014, Nadal lost on clay at Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome and only secured victory in Madrid when Nishikori, in fine form and up a set and a break, retired due to injury.
Nadal may have secured his record ninth French Open championship at Roland Garros this past May, but suffered a crushing loss at Wimbledon to the young, talented Australian Nick Kyrgios and to an even younger Croation phenomenon—17 year old Borna Coric—at the Swiss Indoors last month. Nadal’s ground strokes have lost a bit of their bite and his sub-par movement—when compared to Roger and Novak—is overexposed both on grass and hard courts.
European, right-handed, two-handed backhand; apparently, these are the prerequisites for membership to the Grand Slam Runner’s-Up Club. Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, and David Ferrer are distinguished, card carrying members, having qualified in 2008, 2010 and 2013 respectively.
Tsonga, the 29 year old Frenchman with eleven career titles, is currently ranked twelve in the world having reached a career-high ranking of five in February 2012. At 6 ft. 2 in, Tsonga is the most naturally athletic of the three and moves incredibly well, especially around the net.
Tsonga reached his only slam final at the 2008 Australian Open, losing to Djokovic in four, having won the first set. He is one of only a few active players on the ATP Tour to have progressed to the quarters at all four slams. In addition, he is the only player to have defeated the big four at grand slam level. Tsonga has made the semis twice at Wimbledon (2011, 2012), beating Roger in the quarters in 2011; the semis at the French in 2013 and the quarters at the US Open in 2011.
At the Rogers Cup this August just past, Tsonga played purposeful, aggressive tennis to claim his second Masters series title, defeating Roger Federer in the final in straights. In previous rounds, he defeated three other top ten players, making this the first time in twelve years this has happened at a Masters 1000 series event. In addition, three of these four top ten wins were over members of the big four—Federer, Djokovic and Murray.
The Frenchman hits a heavy ball off both wings, has deft touch around the net and possesses a potent serve. He is deceptively agile and quick around the court despite his size. Though he possesses all the technical tools required to excel at the top of the sport, Tsonga’s mental fortitude is tenuous and this has prevented him from consistently performing well under pressure.
Tomas Berdych, also 29, has ten career titles, including the 2005 Paris Masters, and reached the final of Wimbledon in 2010, losing to Nadal after defeating Roger in the quarters and Novak in the semis. He attained a career-high ranking of five in August 2013 and is currently ranked seven in the world.
He has produced consistent results at the slams over the years, having made the semis at the US Open in 2012, the French in 2010 and the Australian Open in 2014, losing in four sets to the eventual champion, Stan Wawrinka. Berdych is one of a select few of the current crop of players who has reached the semis at all four slams.
Berdych hits the ball hard and flat, generating tremendous pace, especially off the forehand and serve. His footwork is quite good, given his exceptional height. Like Tsonga, Berdych’s mental resilience is often fragile and unreliable during pressure points and though he has endeavoured to strengthen this area of his game, still work remains.
David Ferrer from Spain, the oldest of the three at 32, has 21 career titles, including the 2012 Masters 1000 event in Paris. He has made the semis at the Australian Open twice (2011, 2013), the US Open twice (2007, 2012), the quarters at Wimbledon twice (2012, 2013) and the French Open final in 2013, losing to Nadal in straights.
He achieved a career high ranking of three in July 2013 and is currently ranked ten. In 2014, Ferrer sustained a leg injury, forcing him to retire against Kevin Anderson in Mexico. Ferrer performed well on the dirt, reaching the semis at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, defeating Nadal on clay for the first time since 2004. He lost twice to Federer during the summer hard court season first in the quarters at the Rogers Cup and then in the final at the Western and Southern Open. Although the Spainard is extremely fit and has a fast set of wheels, extended baseline rallies and miles run may have finally tipped the scales.
I’m convinced Berdych, more than the other two members of the grand slam runners-up club, has the best chance of finally lifting a grand slam trophy aloft. Fortunately, he has not suffered a serious injury as of late and continues to improve both physically and mentally, though I would not rule out a coaching change in 2015. Perhaps Tomas, like Novak and Roger, needs a former grand slam champion in his box. Maybe he should ring in the new year by ringing Andre Agassi!
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