T

he dominance of three names in men’s tennis — Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — has not only become a hot topic among fellow athletes, but it also seems to leave very little room for young players to join the lineup.

The fact that these three players have been beaten occasionally still does not ruin the strong image of their domination, at least in the last decade.

Only four players, namely Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro, Marin Čilić and Stanislas Wawrinka, have managed to push through the big three in the grand slam arena since 2009. Other players must be satisfied with serving as stumbling blocks, gaining the “almost there” trophy.

Asian pride Kei Nishikori, popularly known as Special Kei, is among those who have tried to cut through the authority of the big three. He almost made it when reaching the final of the 2014 US Open before eventually bowing down to Čilić in the final.

This year, Nishikori has displayed consistency by reaching the quarterfinals at three majors: the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. Like a true warrior, his journey ended after clashing with the mighty foes.

Djokovic stunned him earlier at the Australian Open (though Nishikori retired in the match), Nadal overpowered him at the ferocious French Open and eventually Federer buried the Japanese’s ambition to reach his first Wimbledon’s semifinal in July.

“I am happy that [I am] making very consistent grand slam results. It’s better if I can go to the semis or final. But I think it’s something that I can be proud of myself for doing well,” he told The Jakarta Post recently.

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