Here's a quick pop quiz for tennis fans out there. Be careful, though, the answer might surprise you.

When was the last time the “Big 4” were the four semifinalists in a tournament together?

All it takes is some thinking back. After all, the Big 4 still are the most likely to go deep in Slams and Masters, last year notwithstanding. When looking at the four favorites coming into these tournaments, it's not the Kei Nishikoris and Stan Wawrinkas that are the top four favorites or the shortest odds at the sportsbook. It's always the Big 4. That's what fans have grown used to and that's what fans still expect.

So, when was the last time that a semifinal was completely comprised of these four?

It almost happened last week. Milos Raonic came back to take out Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, but we were just a few points away from seeing the coveted quartet take over the semis.

So when did they last actually pull it off?

2012. The first Major of the year.

That's right. We haven't seen an all-Big 4 semifinal since the 2012 Australian Open. It has been over three full years. So why do we still expect these four to go the deepest?

For starters, it's what we saw in Indian Wells this past week. These are the players who just don't lose to lower-level players. Sure, the players ranked 5 through 15 are stepping up and beating them more often than in the past, but it's still incredibly rare for any of these four to lose to players outside the Top 30. This itself is one of the main causes of the Big 4's success, but that's a discussion for a different time.

Fans have realized for a long time now that while the Big 4's overall dominance has diminished, their consistency is still tops in tennis. That doesn't change the fact that the answer to this question is still a bit of a shocker. It's been over three years. Now, part of that is due to injuries to Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. And, of course, Roger Federer no longer competes in every Masters event. But the stat is telling.

On the other hand, our own eyes are also telling. Sure, Milos Raonic stepped up last week. But Indian Wells was a strong indication that the Big 4 (who once again hold the top four ranking spots) are still a strong step ahead of the pack.

Last year, with two Slam winners not from the Big 4, was a real shock to the tennis world. It finally brought attention to the fact that others were stepping up. That doesn't change the fact, though, that the top four players are still by far the most consistent and still beat the next tier of players more often than not.

As we look forward to Miami and the clay season after that, it is important to keep this in mind. Sure, the Big 4 no longer have their absolute reign of dominance that we saw from about 2008-2012. But if Miami goes the way Indian Wells did, we may have to hold off on dethroning them completely, at least for a few more months.