As I sat down and watched Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic over the weekend in Paris, I couldn’t help but marvel at their current extraordinary level of play. I mean 6 months ago Novak was struggling to win matches. I remember him losing 6-1 in the 3rd set to Taro Daniel at Indian Wells in a match that I truly thought might mean the end was near for him. Federer, as we know, had knee surgery in 2016 and shut down his season early only to come back and win the 2017 Australian Open. And here we are now in the fall of 2018, watching two of the greatest tennis players of all time playing at a level that surely isn’t far off from their peak form. Thinking about these two players’ amazing comebacks (and let’s not forget about Nadal’s ability to come back from injury) made me wonder about the 4th member of the Big 4, Andy Murray.

A Distant 4th

Now, before we dive into this, I have an axe to grind. Andy Murray is not the same caliber of the Big 3. Yes, he is an incredible player, and yes, he has been the 4th most consistent player outside of the Big 3. But, at the end of the day, he will never be close to the discussion of the greatest player of all time. One could argue that he would have many more slams if he weren’t in the era of Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer. However, one could also argue that one of those three players could have many more slams if just one of their rivals weren’t around, thus making the argument for Murray having more slams moot. Murray is an extraordinary player in his own right, but he is undeserving of being a part of the Big 4.

Greatness is More Than Titles

I have always been a big believer that titles are the easiest indicator as to how to define greatness. However, one of the biggest x-factors in my arguments for being a great player is how you overcome adversity. We aren’t talking about adversity where you lose your first 4 Grand Slam Titles (i.e. Murray) before tasting success. We’re talking about adversity where your confidence is so shaken, so brittle, that you’re consistently losing to players that you have no business losing to. Djokovic early in 2018, Nadal in 2015 clay-court season, Federer in summer of 2013 were each faced with these moments of adversity that fans all over the world exclaimed their dominance was finally over. But, honestly how could you blame those fans? I would be lying if I said I wasn’t one of them. I mean watching Nadal lose consistently on a surface that he demolished opponents on surely must have meant that his career was over.

How about watching Federer lose 2nd round of Wimbledon, struggling in low-level clay court tournaments and losing in the 4th round of the U.S Open to Tommy Robredo in 4 sets? The end was near…right? Wrong. Federer, 5 years later, is still just as feared as he once was.

Djokovic, well need I say anything about him? We are witnessing the magnitude of his greatness in the span of one season.

What Will Murray’s Legacy Be?

Murray has been the 4th best player of his generation. He has consistently competed for slams, the #1 ranking, won 2 gold medals, and had periods of dominance. He is the quintessential warrior on a tennis court, grinding for every last thing he has earned in his career. Nothing has been easy. But now, Murray is in the biggest fight of his career to date. He’s been battling a hip injury for a while now and has seen his level on the court slip. His name is no longer as feared as it once was. The pundits claim that his career as a top player is over. But, is it possible these are the same pundits that once said Nadal’s, Djokovic’s, and Federer’s careers were over?

Murray’s fall from the top hasn’t been as drastic as the other Big 3. It hasn’t been filled with near the embarrassing losses as the others dealt with. Nevertheless, people don’t believe Murray will ever return to his dominant form of 2016 that led him to an 80-10 win/loss record and the season ending #1 ranking.

This is the sort of adversity that the Great’s find ways to overcome. To this point, Murray has been nothing more than the side story to the Big 3. However, the stage is set, the plot is as exciting as ever with the return of Djokovic, and we now we must wait to see if Murray is able to complete the Cinderella story.

Do you all think Andy Murray will return to the top?