Farewell Fernando Gonzalez: Unsung Hero in the Era of Djokovic, Nadal and Fed

Fernando Gonzalez retired last month, a great career ending with a quiet first round loss to Nicolas Mahut at the Sony Ericsson Open.

In a sport where the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer dominate both major tournaments and headlines, it comes as little surprise that the end of Gonzalez’s career came with such little fanfare. Nonetheless, Gonzalez’s achievements are far from small as he had a fulfilling career deserving a level of recognition it will likely not receive.

Turning pro as a 19-year old in 1999, Gonzalez would go on to amass 11 ATP single titles over the course of his career, peaking as the No. 5-ranked player in the world in 2007.

Armed with a hammer-like forehand that would have made Thor blush, Gonzalez used a combination of powerful groundstrokes and relentless energy to wear down his opponents. Memorable victories included upsetting the then top-ranked Federer at the year-end 2007 Tennis Masters Cup, and a straight-set demolition of No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Australian Open.

Despite his many successes, Gonzalez never won a major in his career—a deficiency many would deem damning in the measure of a player’s greatness. However, when examined at a deeper level, Gonzalez’s lack of major victories can be explained—and perhaps even excused.

The peak of Gonzalez’s career coincided with the dominant era of the Big Three in men’s tennis (cue to Andy Murray and David Ferrer nodding sadly). Indeed, in the seven-year period from 2006 to 2012, Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic combined to win 24 out of 25 majors, the lone exception being Juan Martin del Potro’s surprising 2009 U.S. Open triumph. In comparison, 14 different players won majors in the seven-year period from 1996 to 2002 (cue to Andy Murray and David Ferrer weeping sadly). When seen in this light, Gonzalez’s lack of major victories is more a product of the transcendent greatness of the Big Three than his own deficiencies.

In the end, Fernando Gonzalez’s loss yesterday was the closing chapter for one of the best tennis players of the past decade, a last defeat for a man with 370 match victories under his belt. He will be forgotten by many, a misfortune likely to be shared by most of Gonzalez’s tennis compatriots, all unlucky enough to have reached their peaks during the era of the Big Three.

Despite this, there is one tennis distinction that Gonzalez possesses which Djokovic, Nadal and Federer do not: He is the only men’s player of his generation with three Olympic medals. He won gold and bronze medals (in singles and men’s doubles, respectively) at the 2004 Olympics, plus a silver in singles at the 2008 games. Who knows, with the Olympics occurring only every four years and none of the Big Three having more than one medal, Fernando Gonzalez may end up No. 1 after all.