The Latest Evolution in Men's Tennis

In the 2002 Wimbledon Final between Lleyton Hewitt and David Nalbandian, neither player served and volleyed during the entire course of the match. It was seen as revolutionary; a tectonic shift in the game from the serve-and-volley days of Pete Sampras to the era of baseline tennis.

Roger Federer represented the cusp of this shift, playing primarily baseline tennis yet approaching when opportunity presented itself. He dominated at Wimbledon by playing a sort of amalgam of the two styles: serving and volleying occasionally to catch his opponent off guard, yet dictating much of the play with his dominant forehand.

He would go on to win at Wimbledon until 2008, losing at the hands of a familiar rival. Rafael Nadal winning Wimbledon was demonstrative of the end of serve-and-volley tennis even employed only as an intermittent play, and Novak Djokovic winning it this year validates this claim.

Tennis has gone from being a battle of serves and forehands to a war of attrition, with players now measured more by their unforced error count than their number of aces. The years from 2002 until 2008 could be seen as a tennis limbo, with players employing various styles and means to see success on the tour.

Federer's dominance could be viewed due to his hitting the apex of this form: He utilized the mixing of these styles better than any opponent could hope and his endless variety led to an endless amount of victories and titles to his name.

This is no longer the case, though. Aside from Doha (and, just recently, Basel), Federer has not won a title the entire year, and the majors have been split between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, consequently both now ranked as the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world. Their style employs variety, no doubt, but of a different sort. While Federer would approach, slice and lure his opponents into the net, Rafa and Nole's comes from their being able to return balls previously thought impossible to reach, and with enough force to remain in the rally.

Offensive tennis has gone by the wayside, and the players who are taking the most important titles now are those that can endure the longest while making the fewest mistakes.

Perhaps another shift will come in the future, a different form of spin or new technology that will revolutionize the sport. But right now, the only means to attain dominance in tennis is being indefatigable with endless consistency. Viewing the sport right now is a far cry from what it was just 10 years ago.