Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are ‘as good as the Big 3’, claims Grand Slam champion
Plenty of experienced tennis voices have hit back at claims Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have taken tennis to a new level in recent years, but now a player who has competed against all the greats in the modern game has made a bold claim.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic enjoyed a long era of dominance that appeared to be the golden age of the men’s game.
When their era of excellence came to an end, a new dawn began almost immediately as Alcaraz and Sinner started collecting Grand Slam titles at a rapid rate.
That inspired former Grand Slam champions like Mats Wilander to suggest the new ‘Big 2’ in men’s tennis were already playing at a higher level than the greats that went before them.
It was a view that divided opinion, but former Australian Open doubles champion Thanasi Kokkinakis is well placed to pass judgment, as he has played against all five of the players who feature in this debate.
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Speaking exclusively to Tennis365 at The Boodles event at Stoke Park, Kokkinakis made some bold claims about Alcaraz and Sinner and was quick to suggest they are more than a match for Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
“I have played them all and I don’t feel personally like the ‘Big 3’ back in the day were any better than these two we’ve got now,” declared Kokkinakis.
“ I think tennis is always evolving. Of course, I would still say playing Nadal on clay is still the toughest challenge, but what Roger, Rafa and Novak did back in the day and what Alcaraz and Sinner are doing now, it’s amazing.
“It’s hard to pick who is the toughest to play against. Obviously, Djokovic has got all the records, but I think any one of those five on their day can beat anyone.”
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When asked whether Alcaraz and Sinner will get close to challenging the Federer, Nadal and Djokovic’s totals of Grand Slam titles, with all three winning 20 or more of the biggest titles in tennis, he suggests it’s possible.
“It’s such a crazy figure to think about when you think of what can happen over the course of two weeks of a Slam,” he added.
“You have matches that go against you and you need to stick in there. Also, you can’t get sick and you have to stay healthy.
“For Novak to win 24 Grand Slams, that’s just absurd. The tennis level is there for Alcaraz and Sinner to get there, but the consistency of the Big 3 was insane we we have to wait and see if these two can play for that long.
“Also, they will be battling each other for the next few years, so they will be sharing the titles around and we also have some pretty good young players coming through, so it’s an interesting time for men’s tennis.”
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