Originally posted on 07/09/2012:

Even though there are tournaments this week, the excitement level will be minimized so I thought I'd start a little discussion that is always kind of fun to do after we've gotten more than half way through the year. The Big Four: Federer, Djokovic, Nadal & yes, Murray. One is in his twilight closing in on 31. The other three set right in their primes in their mid 20s. So where do they go from here? My thoughts. Add yours.

Federer: I think the 17th Grand Slam title, 7th @ Wimbledon is a huge weight lifted off Fed's back whether he will admit it or not. I think he wanted to prove he could still win at his age against the young bucks. Tying his idol, Sampras along with Brit William Reinshaw, for the most Wimbledon Titles I think was especially special. I think heading into the last few years of his career - who knows how many - he will continue to be a player to the quarterfinal level. I think his record of making Slam QFs is something that he will continue to take pride in and try to defend every Slam. I think that is still a proving point for him every time out. To me, when he stops making quarters, he's going to retire. I think for the remainder of his career, Wimbledon will be a primary focus - #1, his favorite tournament and #2, to try and become the all-time title holder with 8.

Djokovic: He's now a consistent force on all surfaces and I think he will still be the primary favorite at every Grand Slam outside of the French Open as long as he consistently stays at or near the top. Watching Federer win should also inspire Djokovic to try and get back on top of his game. His record this year is stellar, not quite the ridiculousness of 2011, but solid. Still, there is no way you can say he is playing his best tennis as consistently. I think a couple of driving points for him from this point out: Chasing Nadal. He's six Slam titles behind Nadal, but has the all-court game and health at this point to chip into that every year if he can win at least two Slams. Secondly, Chasing the French Open. "The Novak Slam" so to speak. Much like Federer, this is going to be a much talked about non-win until he gets the win @ Roland Garros. And like Roger, he may need someone else to KO Rafa to get the win. Lastly, I think if he needed something to fire him back up - it is seeing the other guys win Championships. Last year, no one could touch him, but now it appears the Big Four are all playing very close to each other.

Nadal: Nadal is the most interesting one to me. Obviously health is going to be the huge issue. The knee tendonits still crops up, although he has done a much better job of not overworking himself. I do think as he begins to advance in age, he will start scaling back even on the clay court tournaments more so to keep himself fresh for the French Open - every year. He is already the greatest Champion @ RG with 7 titles and I think he wants to keep piling them up to make that unreachable, not to mention keeping his impeccable record at the tournament. One loss. I think the interesting thing is to see what his motivation is to chase Federer's Slam record. He's six down now, but will obviously have a window in a couple years/even now where he can try to chase down that mark if he chooses to. I'm just not sure that Rafa really cares about it. I get the feeling that if he won the French Open every year until he retired and nothing else, he'd be content.

Murray: Bridesmaid Syndrome continues for Murray who again has the unfortunate luck of being born during the same period as some of the greatest tennis players this sport will probably ever know. I think a key for Murray is keeping the ideals and preparation that Lendl has instilled with him no matter what happens with that plaer/coach relationship in the future. It's obviously reaped rewards for Murray and Murray would be a fool to get rid of Lendl in my opinion. His consistency is really remarkable. Nine Slam semifinals in the last 13 Slams. He is right there. He's going to need a little luck and his match of a lifetime to probably win one, but you still get the feeling that his time will come. I don't think he will treat any Slam differently until/if he wins one. That is his goal. That is his focus. You're not going to see less or more work for the Australian, French, Wimbledon or US Open from this guy. I certainly think that if he does get one and it's not Wimbledon, that Wimbledon will then become a larger focus for him.

Curious if anyone thinks an outsider can break this stranglehold on Slams that this group has? Tsonga to me would seem the most likely - other than Murray, but he's 27 and his window is evaporating with every Slam that passes. I know a lot have tipped Raonic to be the next big thing, but I haven't seen shit all from him in Best of 5s to show he has the mentality needed to beat the big boys.