The 'golden generation' repel newcomers

It is too damned quiet out there. As the first week of the Australian Open draws to a close, there is an air of tranquillity and order about the place; everything is going according to plan. And that’s a worry.

So far, the big guns, those shooting for the trophy, are keeping their powder dry. Of the top four, only Andy Murray has dropped a set (in the opening match against the talented Ryan Harrison) and all of them have conserved their energies in order to be ready for the bigger matches later on in the tournament. But a quiet first week usually makes for an explosive second week – hence the initial cause for concern – so the trick is to identify just who might provide the fireworks.

This is, as everyone keeps telling us, the golden age of men’s tennis. Roger Federer with his 16 major trophies, is the old GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) but just as soon as he had rewritten the record books, along comes Rafa Nadal and threatens to overtake him. And then, as the world marvelled at the muscular Majorcan, so last year Novak Djokovic put together one of the finest season’s the game has ever seen. And throughout it all, Murray keeps knocking on the door and coming within touching distance of his first grand slam title.

But nothing can last forever. Just as Federer became the architect of his own downfall – he was so stupendously good that he forced every other player to work harder, longer and smarter in order to beat him – so the Big Four have spawned a new generation of players who are not only big and powerful, they are clever, too. No longer will belting the ball from the baseline win trophies; now the young hopefuls are not only working eyeballs-out on the practise court to be as fit as is humanly possible, they are crafty and cunning when they get to the match court.

Leading this new flock is Australia’s very own Bernard Tomic. Yes, he is tall, yes, he is strong but he plays the game in his own way. Able to turn defence into attack in the blinking of an eye and deviously deceptive in the way he moves about the court (he gives no clue as to whether he is going to leather a winner or feather a forehand), he is tipped for great things in the coming years. He may just be taking his first steps up the ladder to the top – he is ranked No.38 in the world – but already, the greats of the game are keeping a close eye on him.

“He understand the game,” Rafael Nadal said approvingly. “His position on court is fantastic.  He's young and he's doing great mentally, in my opinion. He stays very relaxed with, in my opinion, positive face, even when the match is tough for him, in tough moments of the match, I saw him always with calm and accepting everything really well. That's the right tactic to be a champion.

“Probably he's one of these players that have a very good chance to be there. For sure after, in terms of the game, he need to improve things. Sure, he's young. But with 19 years old he is No. 30 of the world winning three very tough matches here against three players with very good level. The normal evolution is to see him, I don't know if this year, in the top 10, but probably this year, next year.”

Tomic is one of only two teenagers in the world’s top 100, the other being 19-year-old Harrison, the bloke who gave Murray the run around last week. Although he did not make it over the first fence here, he gave notice that he will be a problem for the top men in the near future.

He trains with Andy Roddick in Texas and there are plenty of similarities between the old champion and the young gun. They both have a thumping serve and both use their forehands like a pile-driver. Like Roddick, too, Harrison is intelligent and quick to learn. He has had a few run-ins with the top men and with every match, he learns a little more.

“With each match you play at that level, you get a little bit more experience and you get a little bit more used to the pressure of the situation,” Harrison said. “Hopefully, in the near future, if I get into the position to win sets and matches against the top ten guys, I will be a little bit more comfortable with the feeling and have a little more understanding about how I need to go about my business and how I need play those points and close it out and ultimately not get too caught up in the situation. Just make sure I do things the right way.”

Milos Raonic, at 21, is a little older and a little more experienced. With two titles to his name – San Jose last year and Chennai this year – he has already proved himself on the tour but now he wants to make his mark at the grand slams. Armed with a huge serve and a massive wingspan (he is 6ft 5ins tall), he presents an unusual problem to most opponents but not to Lleyton Hewitt. The Australian firebrand defeated Raonic in the third round in one of Hewitt’s typical, rip-roaring, gutsy, battling performances. After all his injury woes, Hewitt won that match on sheer force of will – and not even Raonic’s impressive talents could overcome that. Still, Hewitt was mightily impressed with his young rival.

“I think from what I saw from him not only in the Australian Open last year but San Jose and Memphis, he's pretty experienced,” Hewitt said. “He's got a good head on his shoulders in terms of tennis knowledge.”

Nadal agrees. He is friends with Raonic’s coach, the Spaniard Galo Blanco, and has kept a close watch on Raonic’s progress.

“With this serve, forehand, and not bad movement, if you are just a little bit smart and try to keep improving your game, you have to be in the top positions of the ranking,” Nadal said. “And he is young. He has everything to be there. I don't have any doubt that he will be fighting for important tournaments very soon. His movements are good. He need to go to the net a little bit more often  His serve is, for most of the time, impossible to return and he has a very good forehand. So if his mental part works well, I don't have any doubt he will be there.”

All  three of these young men have departed the men's singles in Melbourne, with Bernard Tomic -  the standard bearer for the new generation – outplayed by Roger Federer tonight.. But all three men will be back next year. They will be a year older, a year wiser and a step closer to ending the Golden Generation’s dominance. Stand by for fireworks.