The importance of the big three for tennis is impossible to measure but every now and then a stat just shows how dominant they were.
One of those stats shows how consistent they have been in playing which is a huge part of why they were so dominant. Federer rarely missed grand slam events and Djokovic is the same which is why the 2022 US Open is the first US Open in 24 years without either of them.
Federer made his debut in 1998 and played at the event for the majority of the years after but hasn't played since 2019. Djokovic made his debut in 2005 and played quite often as well. If one of them missed, the other was usually present but that's not going to be the case this year. It's a streak that started in 1998 but will stop in 2022.
Had Djokovic been vaccinated or had he been exempted from vaccination, the streak would have continued. They both had tremendous success over the years in Flushing Meadows having won over 80 matches each. Only Jimmy Connors has more in the Open Era.
Djokovic played 9 finals in New York but won only three. Federer has won 5 in a row from 2004 to 2008.