As dejected and befuddled as Novak Djokovic often looked on Friday, it is not quite a new era. Not with Djokovic still driven and still No. 1 and not with Rafael Nadal still healing up for at least one more clay-court season.
But the youngsters are making their mark at an increasingly steady pace.
There will be a first-time Australian Open men’s champion on Sunday when Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev face off for the title. Just as there was a first-time Wimbledon men’s champion last year and a first-time U.S. Open men’s champion for three years in a row before that.
The Big Three have set the bar in the stratosphere and yet this new generation led by Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner has shown an ability to conquer any fear of heights.
Their rise has not been linear. Consider the 20-year-old Alcaraz’s lack of a title since last year’s Wimbledon and his occasionally self-immolating tendency to make the routine shot look spectacular. Consider the 22-year-old Sinner’s retreat from the top 10 in 2022.
But they both are transcendent talents, capable of carrying the game for years if they stay healthy and hungry.
It was Sinner’s turn to shine on Friday: competing with predatorial precision and his own brand of gangly grace and grit. The Italian was all arms, legs and excellence as he outclassed Djokovic on the court where Djokovic has won an astonishing 10 Australian Open titles and where he had not been beaten in six years.