"To declare Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic over is a bit short-sighted" - Filip DeWulf

Former French Open semifinalist Filip Dewulf believes that it may be short-sighted to consider the era of the 'Big 3' - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic - as being over. However, DeWulf did also acknowledge that the likes of Dominic Them and Daniil Medvedev have moved one step closer in bridging the gap between themselves and the legendary trio.

During the 2020 season, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal continued their dominance at the Australian Open and French Open respectively. Roger Federer, however, has been absent from the circuit since January due to a knee injury which required him to undergo two surgeries.

2020 also saw the emergence of a new set of faces at the biggest stages. Dominic Thiem won his first major at the US Open, Daniil Medvedev claimed his biggest title at the season-ending ATP Finals, and Alexander Zverev reached his first Slam final at the Australian Open.

DeWulf pointed out Thiem's and Medvedev's breakthroughs in particular, but also noted that winning the ATP Finals is not necessarily a barometer of upcoming Slam success.

"Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem showed in the O2 Arena, by keeping Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic behind them, that they have moved one step further in the hierarchy," DeWulf said. "But to declare the 'Big 3' over right now is a bit short-sighted."

"Don't forget that the last four editions of the ATP Finals were won by Dimitrov, Zverev, Tsitsipas and Medvedev and the four of them meanwhile have zero Grand Slam titles to their credit. Nevertheless, Thiem has clearly received a boost with his win at the US Open," he added.

Roger Federer is somewhat saved by the freezing of the rankings: Filip DeWulf

Roger Federer at the 2020 Australian Open

Filip DeWulf, who peaked at World No. 39 during his playing days, also believes that Roger Federer's comeback will not be as easy as people think. Back in 2017 the Swiss won the Australian Open immediately after returning to the tour in similar circumstances, but DeWulf pointed out how Federer's age could be a significant factor this time around.

"Roger Federer not only has to return from double knee surgery and eleven months of absence, but will also turn 40 in August," DeWulf stated.

However, the Belgian does think that Federer will be aided by the revised ranking system adopted by the ATP tour amid the pandemic. The Swiss has played only one event in 2020 (the Australian Open, where he reached the semifinals), but is still ranked as high as No. 5 in the world.

The temporary ranking system enables players to retain their points from last year's events, thus offsetting the impact of the tournaments being cancelled or players not being able to travel for any reason.

"The Swiss maestro is somewhat saved by the freezing of the rankings. Due to the absence of almost five competition months, the ATP and WTA decided in March that players can only lose points again from next year. Roger Federer is therefore still the number 5 in the world and that with only six games under his belt," DeWulf said.