Novak Djokovic the only ace in the deck

10 November 2015 - 02:02 By Charlie Eccleshare, ©The Daily Telegraph

When does a sporting expression become such a misnomer that it can no longer be used? In the Premier League, the term "Big Four" entered the lexicon in around 2004, and gradually stopped being used by about 2010 after Liverpool finished sixth in the Premier League and could clearly no longer compete with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. The time now has surely come for the ATP Tour's "Big Four" moniker to be consigned to the history books.The term began being used towards the end of the last decade as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray finished every year between 2008 and 2012 as the top four in the world rankings, and in that period won 19 out of 20 Grand Slams.The last time any of the "Big Four" besides Djokovic won a grand slam was Nadal at the 2014 French Open, and as the Serb lifted the Paris Masters trophy on Sunday, to take his 2015 win percentage to a ludicrous 94%, it became apparent that tennis has entered the era of the "Big One".In the five matches Djokovic has lost this year, his opponents have had to play out of their skin - none more so than Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final. The Swiss player won that match more or less by going for the lines in every point, and hitting a groove that he will probably never repeat for the rest of his career.So, that is the prototype for beating Djokovic at a major: lift your game to levels you never thought capable for three hours, and hope your opponent has an off day. It's a formula that has eluded the rest of the "Big Four" for some time...

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