The world in 2005—the last year the Australian Open didn’t feature a ‘Big 3' finalist

For the first since 2005, tennis fans will tune into an Australian Open men’s final without either Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic—another of the many signs that the “Big 3” era of dominance is almost at an end.

Instead, it will be Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner who will face off for the trophy. The pair will compete on a Rod Laver Arena that features a retractable roof, no linespeople thanks to electronic line-calling technology, and fans who are now allowed to move about freely between games—a world away from what it was like back when Marat Safin defeated Lleyton Hewitt for the title.

If it’s hard to picture a world before the Big 3, here’s a snapshot of what the world was like in 2005…

What else didn’t we have?

The iPhone (and iPad, and Apple Watch)

Back then, Apple was a brand more famously associated with computers than phones before they launched the iPhone in 2007, ushering in the smartphone era. There are now 15 versions of the iPhone and counting.

#NextGenATP was still loading…

Born a month apart in 2003, future Top 10ers Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune were about a year-and-a-half old in 2005. The AO final between Safin and Hewitt also would have been aired too late for two-year-olds Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Musetti to tune into.

Taylor Swift songs

She may be a ubiquitous name in music now—and an ever-growing force in culture, too—but there was a time before pop singer Taylor Swift and her evocative lyrical style weren’t dominating the radio. Her debut single “Tim McGraw” came out in 2006.

Editing Wikipedia

The bane of teachers and professors everywhere, this 2006 invention sparked many heated discussions of what can be considered a “reliable source” for school projects. The internet’s free collaborative encyclopedia has also become a valuable repository of information, or misinformation—from looking up obscure tennis stats to making meme edits on a player’s page.

Equal prize money at all Grand Slams

The US Open first awarded equal prize money to men’s and women’s champions in 1973, but it wasn’t until 2007 that the practice was adopted by all four Grand Slams. Wimbledon was still the only holdout, with Roger Federer earning £630,000 and Venus Williams earning £600,000 for their victories. The difference in prize money was so small that, by 2005, it was largely considered to be symbolic—and a year later, it inspired Venus to pen the famous London Times op-ed that would turn the tide of public pressure for good.

What was trending?

• The top song on the Billboard Hot 100: "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey
• Top domestic box office hit: Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith
• Most-watched show on television: American Idol

The last Australian Open final without a Big 3 member

The dominant defending champion going out in a semifinal upset…? That’s not a recap of Sinner’s victory over Djokovic on Friday, it’s also what happened to 2004 champion Federer at the hands of Marat Safin, who saved a match point to reach the final. Safin would go on to break Aussie hearts with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Lleyton Hewitt to lift his second Grand Slam trophy.

But he had to get through his first-round match first, where he faced none other than Novak Djokovic himself—then a 17-year-old qualifier making his main draw debut.

Djokovic was by no means an unknown, with Safin already aware of the buzz around the rising Serbian star: “He had very good results last year in the Challengers. He's going to be a good player,” he said before their match. “He (signed) already a few contracts, so that means that the people (think) he’s going to be in the future Top 10.”

His prediction would obviously come true in a big way—despite Djokovic only managing three games in what would otherwise be a forgettable 6-0, 6-2, 6-1 contest. When they shook hands at the net, Djokovic actually surprised Safin by apologizing for his poor performance.

“I don't know why he said sorry… but the guy tried everything. He tried his best tennis, but I played pretty good,” Safin said. “I just told him that he gonna be great player—and he will be… He’s young. He’s 17 years old, turning 18 this year. He has great potential, and I wish him all the best because he is gonna have a very long career…”

In the women’s tournament, Serena Williams saved a match point of her own in the semifinals against Maria Sharapova, before rallying to defeat countrywoman Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 and win her seventh Grand Slam singles title.

But if you were an American fan who slept through the matches, you would hope to catch the morning replay or see a few highlights on TV: YouTube wouldn’t be invented for another month, launching in February 2005.