“Hope Roger, Novak, and Rafa are not listening,” Mats Wilander shockingly calls Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner ‘better’ than Big 3

Mats Wilander heaped massive praise on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner by calling them better players than the Big 3.

“Hope Roger, Novak, and Rafa are not listening,” Mats Wilander shockingly calls Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner ‘better’ than Big 3

Mats Wilander compared Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to the Big 3 (Images via Wikipedia, X, BBC, CNN, The Hollywood Reporter)

Mats Wilander is in awe of the two youngsters, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who have been playing some of the most entertaining matches after the Big 3 – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. The Swedish great, who now does commentary for Eurosport, compared Alcaraz and Sinner’s games to that of the Big 3 after the conclusion of the China Open. 

The China Open final with Sinner and Alcaraz did not disappoint. It panned out as everyone anticipated, a match in which no side was ready to give up and kept fighting for more than three hours. They played a pair of tie breaks, in the first and last set. 

YouTube video

Alcaraz, who lost three points in the deciding set tie-break, denied the Italian the chance to defend his title as the World No. 2 won seven points in a row to lift his first China Open trophy. For Wilander, the match was enough to call Alcaraz and Sinner better than the trio who ruled on tennis courts for decades. 

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I hope Roger, Novak, and Rafa are not listening, but in terms of level, when Sinner and Alcaraz are at their best, there’s no way anyone has ever played better tennis.

Mats Wilander told Eurosport 
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Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, (in circle) Nicolas Mahut (via Imago/L'Equipe)

Jannik Sinner is not comfortable after WADA’s appeal

Jannik Sinner was cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent tribunal when he tested positive for anabolic steroid called clostebol twice in March this year. Amidst uproar in the tennis fraternity, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) decided to step in, and they appealed before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), demanding a ban. 

Jannik Sinner (4)
Jannik Sinner (Image via X)

Sinner’s case was different than several players who, like the Italian, got accidentally contaminated. As he dealt with no severe punishments like the other players, it divided the tennis community. In Sinner’s case, the drug entered his system while getting a massage from his physio.

After the China Open, Sinner landed in Shanghai for the ATP 1000 Masters event and ahead of his first-round match, he talked about WADA’s interference. 

It’s not in a situation where I feel comfortable in it, that’s for sure because I thought it was over … so it’s not easy. 

Jannik Sinner said at a press conference 
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Carlos Alcaraz (2)

Sinner will walk onto the court in Shanghai on Saturday (October 5) to start his campaign with a match against Taro Daniel. They have met once, in the 2022 Australian Open, which Sinner won.