Three-time grand slam champion Andy Murray believes there will eventually be changes occurring at the top of men’s tennis, but not for a while.
Murray, who is on the comeback from his second hip operation, has issued a time frame of between 18 months and two years until the reign of the Big Three is truly tested. A group consisting of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The trio currently occupies the top end of the rankings with the youngest being Djokovic at the age of 32. Between them, they have won 259 ATP titles, including 54 at grand slam level.
“I can see something happening in the next couple of years. Maybe the next 12-18 months I don’t quite see it. But in 18 months to two years I think we’ll see some changes up there,” Murray said during an interview with atptour.com.
“I think it will mainly come from the younger ones. That’s not to say that some of the older guys couldn’t potentially win a Slam. I just don’t see one of them becoming dominant. Potentially some of the younger guys get up to the top four or five in the world and stay there for a long period.”
One of the player’s Murray has tipped to become the next big thing is Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime. The 18-year-old cracked the top 25 earlier this year. Becoming the youngest player on the men’s tour to do so since Lleyton Hewitt back in 1999. He is yet to win a title, but has contested three ATP Finals since February and reached the semi-finals of the Miami Masters.
Besides Auger-Aliassime, the Brit has also lent his backing behind Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev. 20-year-old Tsitsipas recently broke into the world’s top five for the first time. Meanwhile, Zverev is the reigning ATP Finals champion.
“I like Felix. I like his game; physically he’s very strong and he looks good mentally,” Murray said. “He’s still young so he’ll need a little time. Tsitsipas has a really nice game; he’s a good athlete and his personality is great. He’s fun to watch. He has an all-round game that allows him to play well on all surfaces, which is important if you want to get up there and stay up there.
“Obviously Zverev has a lot of potential and he’s won the most of the young guys. If you have a few bad months it’s easy for people to forget that and start writing you off. But he’s a young guy who can improve a lot.
“They would be the three right now. But there could be 17-, 18-year-olds out there who I haven’t seen play much who could break through.”
Singles campaign gaining momentum
Murray will play singles at the Western and Southern Open next week for the first time since January. When he said that he could be forced to retire due to persistent hip pain. However, his latest operation has so far been a success with him playing in a series of doubles tournaments. Winning the Fever-Tree Championships with Feliciano Lopez.
On Sunday it was confirmed that the 32-year-old will head to Asia to play more singles tournaments next month. Confirming that he would play at both the Zhuhai Open, which starts on September 23rd. The week after he will also feature in the draw at the China Open in Beijing.
“As I look to play more singles events later in the year, I’m happy to announce I’ll be playing at the inaugural Zhuhai Championships in the week of Sept 23.” Murray wrote on Facebook.
“I have always enjoyed playing in China and Zhuhai is meant to be a great city. It’s close to Macau and Hong Kong, with an impressive stadium and I can’t wait to experience it..”
There is still no confirmation about Murray’s plans during the US Open, however, it is possible that he could just focus on the doubles.
At the Western and Southern Open, Murray will play Richard Gasquet in the first round.
