The retirement of Roger Federer and the fitness problems which Rafael Nadal has been struggling to overcome suggest that one of the greatest eras in tennis history is drawing to a close.
Tennis fans have been spoiled in recent times with Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic taking the game to a new level.
Much of the previous fifteen years has also seen British star Andy Murray cause all three problems. As well as the epic matches and ridiculous levels of consistency, an enduring feature of this golden era has been the mutual respect between the main protagonists.
Supporters of each of the “big three” could put forward a case for who is the greatest of all-time, however the rivalry which has usually been given top billing is that of Federer and Nadal.