Edberg & Becker back Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic to dominate for a few more years

Former World No. 1 Stefan Edberg won his first Grand Slam title at the age of 19, but he believes something like that is unlikely to happen again in the near future. Referring to the dominance of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Edberg said that the age for success has changed over the years; the 19-year-old players of the modern era can't match the seasoned pros any longer.

Making an appearance on Eurosport's vodcast, Stefan Edberg discussed the evolution of tennis with Boris Becker and Mats Wilander. The trio touched upon a variety of subjects during their conversation, including the peculiarities of their own playing careers.

While Edberg won the Australian Open when he was 19, Wilander picked up his maiden French Open title at the age of 18. Even Becker won the Wimbledon Championships in his teenage years.

The three legends compared their generation with the current era, and noted that the average age of the top 100 players has increased. The players of their time were at their peak at 24 or 25, but that has risen to 27-30 years now.

The game has changed: Stefan Edberg

Stefan Edberg with the Wimbledon trophy in 1988

Comparing the previous era with the era of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Stefan Edberg said:

"We made it very early. It doesn't exist anymore today. The game has changed. It has changed completely, everyone is trained and already has more experience. "

Edberg pointed out that in the 80s and 90s, players didn't have large coaching teams like they do today. The Swede, who recently opined that the 2019 Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic was the greatest match ever, feels that there is no player on tour right now who could win Wimbledon at the age of 19.

He then added that the age at which a player attains his peak has also changed.

"We were at our zenith when we were 24 or 25. Today their best years are between 27 and 30, maybe even later," he continued.

Edberg believes that increased prize money has also had an impact on the tennis world. Boris Becker, who is a former coach of Novak Djokovic, echoed the same sentiment and said:

"We refer to 23-year-olds as the young generation. We had our first crisis at that age. It was almost normal to be at least in the finals as a teenager. Today, it's an impossible thing."

The dominance of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the recent past

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal share 36 Grand Slam titles between them

The top two players of the world, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, have won the last eight Grand Slam events. Both men are in their 30s, and yet the only other male player other than Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal who has won a Major in the last three years is Roger Federer - who will celebrate his 39th birthday next month.

Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini form the vaunted NextGen of the men's tour, but none of them have won a Grand Slam yet. Dominic Thiem, who is a little older, made it to the Australian Open final earlier this year - where he lost to Novak Djokovic. Thiem has also lost a couple of French Open finals to Rafael Nadal, and is still looking for his breakthrough moment.

Medvedev tested Rafael Nadal's skills in an epic five-setter finale at the US Open last year, but even he couldn't conquer the final hurdle.

The highest-ranked teenager in the ATP rankings is the 19-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime from Canada, who is No. 20. But the upcoming Canadian star is yet to win his first ATP singles title, having lost all five finals he has played so far.

The only other teen in the top 100 is Jannik Sinner from Italy. The 18-year-old has shown a lot of promise, and his coach Riccardo Piatti even wants him to train with Rafael Nadal. However, as Stefan Edberg said, it is tough to imagine him winning a Grand Slam in the next two years.

Looking at the recent trend, it is easy to agree with what Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker said. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are here to stay, and the younger generation will have to wait a while longer before they can taste Slam success.