Ex-world No 4 addresses if Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner can match Djokovic, Nadal, Federer
Former world No 4 Greg Rusedski has proclaimed that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are “doing things physically and mentally that no other players have done.”
Alcaraz, 22, and Sinner, 24, are the two dominant players of their generation, having secured six and four Grand Slam titles respectively.
They are the only male players born this century to win majors, with 29-year-old Daniil Medvedev the next-youngest Grand Slam champion.
Alcaraz and Sinner, who are ranked first and second, have each won four of the last eight Grand Slams held since Novak Djokovic’s last major victory at the 2023 US Open.
The duo faced off in the finals at the last three majors, with Alcaraz prevailing at the French Open and US Open and Sinner winning at Wimbledon.
Speaking on the latest episode of his Off Court with Greg podcast, Rusedski marvelled at Alcaraz and Sinner and lauded the pair’s incredible French Open final showdown.
“I was lucky this year to watch the best tennis match I’ve seen in my lifetime: the French Open final, that five-set epic, the three match points for Sinner, the fifth set going into the tiebreak,” said the former US Open finalist.
“You had Andre Agassi in the front row with his mouth wide open thinking, how hard are these guys hitting this ball from the first set to the final set? Longest match ever [in] Roland Garros history as well.
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“They’re doing things physically and mentally that no other players have done, in a certain respect, because there’s no weakness to go to. You look at them and you say, where am I breaking this guy down? And they’re getting better. So that means that the pack has to improve.
“Somebody’s gotta break them at the Slams, the only guy to do that at the Slams this year is a certain guy by the name of Novak Djokovic. And he only beat one of them; you have to beat those guys back to back. Good luck doing that winning a Slam! You’re gonna need a little bit of luck.”
The former British No 1 also gave his verdict on whether Alcaraz and Sinner could match the Grand Slam totals of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
“My generation was [Pete] Sampras, he broke the record that was held for 30 years,” Rusedski said.
“There was a little gap, two years of Guga (Gustavo Kuerten) and Lleyton Hewitt taking over, then the Big Three showed up and destroyed all the records. 24, 22, 20 Slams, it was unbelievable.
“Even Novak himself says tennis is getting better, so we’re very fortunate these two have come along, but every generation, there’s gonna be somebody better.
“Will they (Alcaraz and Sinner) match their (The Big Three’s) numbers? Long way to go for that, and you have to be healthy and consistent. I think they’ve got a shot. No question.”
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