Stat of the Day: 4 Masters 1000s in a row for non-Big 3

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Rafael Nadal’s shock 6-4, 6-4 loss to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of Madrid on Friday might be signaling somewhat of a changing of the guard in men’s tennis, at least at the Masters 1000 level.

This is the fourth Masters 1000 in a row where none of the Big 3 of Nadal, Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic will lift the title, the longest drought for them since the last four Masters 1000s of 2003 (Andy Roddick won Canada and Cincinnati, Juan Carlos Ferrero won Madrid and Tim Henman won Paris).

In fact, all nine Masters 1000 events in 2003 went to non-Big 3 players. Federer won the first Masters 1000 of 2004 at Indian Wells, and the Big 3 haven’t gone more than three in a row without a title since.

Since Djokovic won his record 36th career Masters 1000 crown in Rome last September, Daniil Medvedev won in Paris, Hubert Hurkacz won Miami and Stefanos Tsitsipas conquered Monte Carlo.

Fans of the Big 3 shouldn’t worry about the Grand Slams yet, though—the trio has won 15 of the last 16 majors, the only miss since 2016 coming at the 2020 US Open, where Dominic Thiem lifted the title.