Former Grand Slam Finalist Explains Why Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are Better Than Big 3
World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz and World No.2 Jannik Sinner have split the last eight Grand Slam titles.
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Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Yahoo Sports, AllAboutHQ)
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Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are way ahead of everyone on the tour at present. Because of their sheer dominance, they often get compared to the legendary trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Greg Rusedski, a former Grand Slam finalist, thinks Sinner and Alcaraz are better players than the Big 3. During his interview with Tennis365, Rusedski said players keep evolving with time.
Every generation goes to the next level, and that’s what we are seeing with Alcaraz and Sinner. Sports science gets better, techniques get better, racket technology improves, and while we are saying Alcaraz and Sinner are playing tennis we have never seen before, that doesn’t mean the greats of the past would not also rise to this level if they had the same conditions to play in now.
Federer and Nadal called time on their respective careers at the 2022 Laver Cup and the 2024 Davis Cup. Djokovic was the last player other than Alcaraz and Sinner to win a Major, back in 2023 at the US Open, by defeating Daniil Medvedev. And since then, he has made just one Grand Slam final- at the 2024 Wimbledon, where Alcaraz defeated him in straight sets.
You look at my generation, and we had Pete Sampras in there. He got to 14 Grand Slam titles to break the all-time record in the men’s game, and everyone said that would never be beaten. Then all of a sudden, along came Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, and they all won 20 and more Grand Slam titles. Throw Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka in that picture as well.
Greg Rusedski added
When everyone thought what would happen after the Big 3, Alcaraz and Sinner emerged on the scene, and since 2024, they have ended up taking 26 titles from 35 finals, including the last eight Grand Slam titles.
Patrick Mouratoglou on what the opponents should do to beat Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Whenever Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz were in the draw, one of them ended up winning the tournament, most of the time. This season, the Spaniard featured in 11 finals, winning eight titles. Sinner’s tally was six titles from 10 finals.
Sinner lost just six matches this year, four of those defeats were to Alcaraz, in the finals of the Italian Open, French Open, Cincinnati Masters, and the US Open. In short, they have become nearly invincible, with players finding it tough to beat them. Serena Williams‘ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, advised the players on what they must do to challenge the dominance of the World No.1 and World No.2.
I think the right way to think for them is how can I beat them, even if I cannot beat them today. How can I potentially beat them tomorrow? And the only way for the current generation to potentially beat Alcaraz or Sinner or both in the near future is to focus on their strengths and see also how Sinner and Alcaraz are able to exploit their weaknesses.
Patrick Mouratoglou said on Instagram
Even Novak Djokovic is not able to beat them. Djokovic was successful in knocking out the six-time Grand Slam champion in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, but since then, he lost twice to Sinner, in the semifinals of the French Open and Wimbledon, while Alcaraz knocked him out in the semifinals of the US Open.
Sinner and Alcaraz also met in the final match of the ATP season this year. In the ATP Finals, the four-time Grand Slam champion defended his crown with a straight-set win over the 22-year-old.
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