The Big Four of Nadal, Federer, Murray and Djokovic still the most intriguing in a crowded men’s tennis field

Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. Composite from agencies

Men’s tennis has probably never seen a more intriguing start to the season than 2017, at least not in the recent past.

Storylines abound, converging and muddled, and even a seen-it-all veteran like Roger Federer, starting his 20th season on the Tour, could barely conceal his excitement.

“I think the beginning of the year, especially the Australian summer, is going to be epic,” the 17-time grand slam champion told The New York Times last month.

Of course, epic is not a word Federer would use lightly. But such is the state of men’s tennis, with an abundance of possibilities as the Big Four, winners of a combined 46 grand slam titles, defend their turf against a marching horde of challengers.

Yes, we have written elegies about the Big Four in the past, but they still remain the most compelling of the storylines for 2017.

From Mubadala:

• Nadal still going strong: Five things we learnt

• Spaniard says he is going to keep playing his way

• Andy Murray: Australian Open still eludes him

Federer’s return from his longest injury break, at the age of 35, is one fascinating narrative and so will Rafael Nadal’s latest comeback from recovering from a physical setback.

“As long as I’m healthy and injury-free, I think I can really do some damage,” Federer, who has not played a match since losing in five sets to Milos Raonic in the semi-finals at Wimbledon in July, said in Perth last week.

Nadal, who returned from a two-and-a-half-month injury layoff to win the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi last week, has similar goals, now that he has rediscovered both his confidence and his powerful forehand.

Then, of course, the battle between the top two — Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic — should also keep everyone engaged.

Murray, now a Sir after being knighted in the New Year’s Honours list, made a surge in the second half of 2016 to upstage the Serbian and take over the No 1 ranking.

Djokovic, invincible in the first half of last season, looked a bit short of inspiration in the latter half of 2016 after completing his career grand slam at the French Open.

Now, he is determined to get back to the top, using the last six months as an “incentive” to “get even stronger, get even better, and keep going”.

“I think it actually creates a great story for next year,” Federer added. “Andy’s a great story. Novak’s a great story. Rafa, obviously, is always going to be a good story. Me coming back is hopefully going to be a nice story to follow, too.”

But that is not all. For once, the Big Four will not be hogging all the limelight.

Stan Wawrinka, winner of a grand slam in each of the past three years, should get an equal billing at the major tournaments. Juan Martin Del Potro, if he stays healthy, will also get mentioned in the same breath and should be one of the biggest threats to the Big Four.

Then, of course, we have the likes of Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, and Raonic and Kei Nishikori, who both feel ready to step up and join the list of grand slam champions.

“I am gradually getting more confident about myself,” Nishikori was quoted as saying by The Japan News. “The more I improve the precision of my shots and become stronger mentally, the more chances I will have.”

“I am in a better shape than I have been physically before ever, and I feel like I am playing better tennis than I ever have,” said Raonic here in Abu Dhabi last week. “So now it’s about stepping up and bringing that to matches.”

Youngsters like Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and Lucas Pouille could also fancy their chances in the coming season.

Then, of course, there is Nick Kyrgios, sounding a lot more positive after his ATP-mandated sessions with a psychologist.

“I think it’s going to be an exciting year as well with the youngsters and with us coming back, Rafa and me, and Andy and Novak fighting for what they are fighting for,” Federer told the NYT. “I think Raonic is on the doorstep. Can Stan win another slam this next year? There are some great storylines.”

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