Tennis World english 39 Tennis World EN 39 | Page 15

competing
at
a
high
level
throughout
the
year
as
he
always
has?
It
might
just
not
be
feasible
anymore.

Nadal
was
technically
eligible
for
the
ATP
World
Tour
Finals,
but
did
not
play
due
to
health
concerns.
Federer,
on
the
other
hand,
not
having
played
for
six
months,
had
no
chance
of
qualifying.
He
not
only
failed
to
appear
at
the
prestigious
year-end
event
for
the
first
time
in
about
a
decade,
but
also
fell
out
of
the
Top
10
after
734
weeks
of
always
being
present
near
the
top
of
the
rankings.
302
of
those
weeks
were
as
world
number
one.
His
assault
to
return
to
the
Top
Ten
will
restart
in
January,
and
he
will
also
aim
to
beat
Jimmy
Connors'
record
of
819
weeks
in
the
top
ten.
Numbers
aside,
we
must
now
seriously
consider
if
the
term
“Fab
Four”
is
even
more
ready
for
retirement
than
Federer
and
Nadal.
Djokovic
and
Murray
as
still
playing
at
very
high
levels,
of
course,
but
Federer
and
Nadal
can
certainly
not
still
be
considered
as
dominant
players
any
more.
The
next
generation
of
players
are
not
quite
ready
for
the
big
stage,
it
is
true.
Nick
Kyrgios,
Alexander
Zverev
and
Dominic
Thiem

are
all
very
talented
and
will
likely
go
on
to
do
great
things,
but
they
cannot
even
hope
to
be
considered
as
part
of
a
“Fab”
group.
Stanislas
Wawrinka
has
won
three
Slams,
but
as
brilliant
as
he
is
at
times,
he
can
also
be
woefully
inconsistent.
Even
so,
he
might
now
default
into
the
Fab
Four
given
his
stature
and
overall
results.

So
right
now
we
can
only
speak,
perhaps,
of
a
Fab
Three,
but
in
the
coming
year
that
might
change.
Juan
Martin
del
Potro,
for
example,
is
a
prime
candidate
for
the
Fab
Four
should
his
comeback

continue
on
its
current
course.
Players
like
Marin
Cilic
and
Kei
Nishikori,
if
they
put
together
a
string
of
impressive
results,
might
also
be
considered.

One
can
hope,
of
course,
that
both
Federer
and
Nadal
will
return
to
reclaim
their
spots
in
the
Fab
Four.
It
is
a
vain
hope,
perhaps,
but
a
hope
nonetheless!
It
would
certainly
be
glorious.
But
no
matter
what
happens,
we
must
all
appreciate
these
two
players
every
time
they
step
out
on
court,
for
we
cannot
know
when
it
will
be
the
last
time.