The 2014 US Open final was a strange and unfamiliar one for tennis fans. It marked the first time since the 2005 Australian Open that at least one of the ‘Fab Three’ — Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer — were not playing for the title.

At the Flushing Meadows, fans had also been used to seeing one of the ‘Big Four’ walking away at the end of the fortnight with the silver trophy — Federer, Djokovic, Nadal and Andy Murray have lifted every US Open title in the last decade except one.

Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro, who toppled Federer in five sets, is the only other man to clinch the title, in 2009. Since then, Del Potro has not been back to a Grand Slam final and only once made it to the semi-finals in New York.

At Monday night’s title clash, Marin Cilic hit all the right notes in a dominant win over Japan’s Kei Nishikori, but it remains to be seen if the big Croatian is another one slam wonder or perennial threat

Sitting in his post-match press conference with the trophy beside him, even Cilic found it hard to believe: “I mean, seems completely unreal to be called Grand Slam champion. I was dreaming about this all my life and suddenly last four, five days everything started to change... This is just the peak of the world.”

Over the last few years, tennis fans have been watching intently for any signs of a changing of the guard at the top of men’s game. Until this year, Marat Safin — who clinched the 2005 Australian Open — and Del Potro were the only men outside the ‘Big Four’ to have clinched a major title in the last decade.

This year, however, two new names have been added to the honour roll. Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka created a shock by winning the Australian Open. And now we have Cilic.

A new crop of young, eager challengers are also knocking at the door with Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov, Canadian Milos Raonic along with Nishikori among those deemed as possible future Grand Slam winners.

Cilic, however, is not quite ready to proclaim the start of a new era in men’s tennis, instead praising his luck has much as his thundering serve. “A lot of guys are saying people would like to watch the top four guys much more to extend their streak at the top because they attract the fans and the TV viewers,” he says. “But one day, definitely, they are going to go out and there’s going to be a need for somebody else. I think the game of tennis is definitely going to evolve much more in the days to come.”