Tennis fans are spoiled. Or rather, tennis fans were spoiled for the past decade. Fans saw the rise of the most prolific tennis player the world has ever seen, only to watch in awe and fear as he battled the second-most prolific tennis player the world has ever seen. 

And as it all seemed to come crashing down in a disheartening pile of back pains and wrist fractures, the unthinkable happened — the third-most prolific tennis player the world has ever seen arose from the heap of ashes that lay in the same disheveled pile. Now that decade is seemingly coming to a close and rather fast, in fact. 

Roger Federer, the all-time leader in Grand Slams with 17, has, for all intents and purposes, called it quits. Rafael Nadal, who pulled out of the most recent French Open, has all but put his best days behind him. And lastly, Novak Djokovic, despite winning three Grand Slams last year, is entering a different type of decade this coming May —the big three-oh, an omen of failure and injury. 

From 2006 to 2013, only two players other than the three mentioned above won a Grand Slam. The two were Andy Murray, in 2012 and 2013, and Juan Martin Del Potro in 2009. For seven incredible years, it was a guarantee that one of the top-three would make it to the finals, no ifs, ands or buts about it. 

Federer won 10 Grand Slams in a mere four years, a feat unheard of until then. Nadal was the king of clay, scooping up nine French Opens in 10 years like he owned them. As Nadal and Federer slowed, Djokovic saw his hole and took it, stealing three of the four Grand Slams in two separate years. 

Though without any reference it is impossible to compare, growing up in the presence of greatness numbs the mind to the greatness itself. The beloved Stefan Edberg won a paltry six titles, while rival Boris Becker, if one can call such a relatively underwhelming performance a rivalry, won a meager six as well. It took the Superbrat, John McEnroe, seven years to accumulate just six pieces of hardware. 

True, Bjorn Borg dominated the scene for a solid eight years, but that scene consisted of only grass and clay, with no asphalt or hard surface to be found. 

While the sixties saw Roy Emerson and Rod Laver duel it out, there was never the same consistency of winning as there was in the 2000s. Smatterings of low-profile players made their way into the finals during Emerson’s and Laver’s tenure, diluting their share and their esteem. 

Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka seem likely to split the wins with Djokovic, but neither will last long. It is up to the new faces of tennis, Kei Nishikori, Nick Kyrgios and Dominic Thiem, to take the torch and attempt to ignite the now simmering flames. 

None of the three have been able to win a Grand Slam so far in their career. Nishikori came the closest with a runner-up finish in the 2014 U.S. Open against the legend himself, Federer. He has supplanted himself as a top-threat in this year’s pool, ranked solidly at No. six in the tennis world. 

Thiem is next in line with a ranking of No. seven in the world, while Kyrgios trails significantly at No. 16 in the world. The two have made incredible strides in short time, despite their ripe young ages of 23 and 21, respectively.

As the last Grand Slam of the season comes to a close, fans and critics alike should keep in mind the pure majesty they were so humbly afforded to observe. The records that were broken are likely to stand for decades into the future, with no apparent usurper in sight.