As Serena leaves, Nadal loses, Federer absent, is era over?

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Serena Williams played what’s expected to be her last match at the U.S. Open. Rafael Nadal lost in the fourth round. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer weren’t even in the tournament. Those four players dominated, and were the main draws, in tennis for decades, collecting a total of 86 Grand Slam singles titles, each with at least 20. And so, as the quarterfinals began at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday without any member of that quartet present, it made sense to ask: Is this the end of an era? It is the first U.S. Open in the professional era with just one quarterfinalist across the women’s and men’s draws who already has won a major championship.