This image is a derivative of djokovic forehand, by smarch0987 (CC0 1.0)

On July 14 2019, millions of people all over the world were glued to their television sets as they witnessed Roger Federer squander two match points against Novak Djokovic in the longest-ever men’s Wimbledon singles final.

One year down the line, those people were consigned to watching the repeat of the final as the global health pandemic took away one of the world's premier sporting events.

Tennis fans can however finally rejoice as the sport resumed earlier this week with the Palermo International in Sicily which was ultimately won by Fiona Ferro. The ATP tour is set to resume as well, with the Cincinnati Mastersscheduled for August 22, with the highly anticipated US Open to follow a week later.

While the resumption of tennis has brought smiles to the faces of tennis fans the world over, the somewhat bittersweet reality is that the US Open will be the first time since 1999 that at least one of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal won't be participating in the main draw of a Slam.  

However, despite the crazy year and uncertainties surrounding it, there are a bunch of players who stand to gain from the resumption of tennis. Let's take a look. 

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NOVAK DJOKOVIC AND RAFAEL NADAL

After having recovered from the Coronavirus, and apologising to the public for organising the ill-fated Adria Tour in June, Novak Djokovic is ready to go once again, confirming his participation in the US Open. With no Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the mix, Djokovic will look to seize the opportunity and claim his 18th Grand Slam title. 

He won the Australian Open earlier this year for a record 8th time and followed that up with a win at the Dubai Open. He's yet to lose a single match this year after having played 18times. Since he bowed out of the US Open in the Round of 16 last year, he has the chance of amassing plenty of ATP points at Flushing Meadows, and cement his vice-like grip as the world's number one player. 

Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, will have his eyes on a 13th French Open title, and thus matching Federer with 20 Grand Slams in total.

The French Open is set to take place from September 27 to October 11. Nadal’s inhuman record of 93 wins out of 95 matches at Roland Garos also means that he can get to 100 wins and join Federer as only the second person to reach that mark in a Grand Slam.

CAN THE 'NEXT GEN' FINALLY LEAVE ITS MARK? 

Since the arrival of the likes of Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Daniil Medvedev, there's been plenty of talk about one of these youngsters finally breaking through and dethroning the 'Big 3' supremacy.

Since 2004, there have been only 9 occasions where either Nadal, Federer or Djokovic hasn't claimed a slam with Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka claiming three slams each, and with Marin Cilic prevailing at the 2014 US Open.

There have been a bunch of talented youngsters, dubbed as the ‘Next Gen’ who have made their mark on the sport, yet failed to go the distance at a Grand Slam.

However, the tide is perhaps turning. Thiem has come the closest to winning a Slam, finishing as a runner-up at the French Open in 2018 and 2019, while pushing Djokovic to 5-sets in the final of this year's Australian Open. 

Zverev, on the other hand, has made great strides in his career but is yet to stamp his authority on the biggest stage. He has won a total of 11 titles, including 3 Masters titles and the title at the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals in 2018. 

Medvedev had a great 2019, winning 4 events, including 2 Masters 1000 titles and finishing as the runner-up at the US Open, losing a closely contested, 5-set match against Nadal. 

Greek sensation Tsitsipas has won 5 titles as well, winning the World Tour Finals in 2019, thus becoming the youngest player to do so since 2001. 

With the ongoing pandemic, these youngsters could finally go all the way at the upcoming Grand Slams and begin a new era in tennis.

ANDY MURRAY'S COMEBACK

The former world no. 1 and Britain’s best came close to retiring from the game due to constant injuries after his first round loss at the Australian Open in 2019. 

However, after a few successful surgeries on his hip, he decided that he still has it in him to compete at the biggest stage. He made a successful return to the sport towards the end of last season and even won a title at Antwerp, defeating Stan Wawrinka in the final of the ATP 250 event.

Once ranked no. 1 in the world, Murray is now ranked 129. His ranking had gone as low as 839 in July 2018 due to all the points he had accumulated in the previous year. 

After being out of action for almost a year, Murray will look to come back strong and get back to winning ways. So far, he has a total of 46 titles, including three Grand Slams crowns. 

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