Carlos Alcaraz sent warning about emulating Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer
Tennis icon Andre Agassi has assessed that Carlos Alcaraz possesses the “best” attributes from Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
The former world No 1 cautioned, though, that this does not mean Alcaraz can achieve what the Big Three did “because there are so many other parts to the game.”
Alcaraz has been frequently compared to each of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer since his meteoric rise to the top of the sport.
The 21-year-old Spaniard has won four Grand Slam titles: the 2022 US Open; the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon titles; and the 2024 French Open.
He will break Rafael Nadal’s record to become the youngest man to complete the career grand Slam if he wins any of the next three editions of the Australian Open.
Alcaraz finished the 2024 season as the world No 3 after winning four tournaments to take his overall title tally to 16.
More Tennis News
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz ‘deserve’ to be compared to Big 3 claims Grand Slam champion
Speaking at the TiE Global Summit 2024, Agassi offered Alcaraz the highest praise while analysing his skill set, but was wary of backing the Spaniard to emulate the Big Three.
“I’m not a genius and I don’t have a crystal ball. What I can tell you is Alcaraz defends like Novak, has power and spin like, Nadal, and has hands and finesse like Federer,” the American declared.
“But just because he has the best of all three doesn’t mean he can do what they did because there are so many other parts to the game. Decision-making, injuries, luck… there are so many things.”
Djokovic has won a men’s record 24 Grand Slam titles, while Nadal and Federer sit second and third on the all-time list with 22 and 20 majors respectively.
Alcaraz has candidly addressed the prospect of breaking Djokovic’s incredible record and matching the level of the legendary trio.
“Obviously, I keep thinking about Nole’s 24 Grand Slams, that’s clear,” the former world No 1 admitted in February.
“I’m a very ambitious guy and I always want to think big, and I dream big — obviously Djokovic’s 24 is a goal at the end of my career.
“It is something that is inevitable to think about. I am very competitive and that is also what drives me to the highest level to try to be at the same level as the Big Three. The truth is that I dream big.”
READ NEXT: Tim Henman names his favourites to win the 2025 Australian Open men’s and women’s titles
