After this year’s French Open, many of us wondered if the era of the Big Four had officially given way to the era of the Only One—the one being, of course, Novak Djokovic. Those thoughts were quickly tossed aside when Andy Murray took advantage of a rare Djokovic stumble to win Wimbledon.
Now those thoughts have returned, in a much more literal sense, at the Rogers Cup. Djokovic really is the only one of the Big Four to make the trip to Toronto. With the Rio Olympics on the immediate horizon, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Murray have all passed on the year’s first top-level U.S. Open tune-up event.
What will this novel situation bring us? Will the star power we’ve come to expect at a Masters 1000 tournament be conspicuously lacking? Will it be a refreshing showcase for the ATP’s second tier of (often-neglected) talent? Or will it provide a reassuring glimpse of what the tour’s future may hold? Here’s a look ahead at the draw.