‘Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz seem out of the ordinary’, says former star in Federer, Nadal, Djokovic claim

Ewan West 25 Mar 2024 12:19 PM

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the net

Feliciano Lopez believes tennis is “very lucky” Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have arrived after the era featuring Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

The former world No 12 proclaimed that the unparalleled success of the Big Three “greatly detracts from what has happened before”, while claiming Sinner and Alcaraz “seem like two out of the ordinary.”

Djokovic, Nadal and Federer are considered by many to be the three greatest players in the history of men’s tennis, having competed against each other for large periods of their career.

The legendary trio make up the top three for the most men’s Grand Slam titles of all time, with Djokovic having claimed 24 and Nadal and Federer having won 22 and 20 respectively.

Sinner and Alcaraz have emerged as the two leading players of the latest generation of young ATP stars and are the only active players under the age of 28 to win a major.

Alcaraz triumphed at the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, while Sinner secured his maiden Grand Slam at the 2024 Australian Open.

In an interview with EFE, Lopez discussed the impact of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic’s success and stressed the importance of appreciating each generation in its own right.

“When I talk to people and tell them that Andre Agassi won eight Grand Slams and they answer me ‘just?’, well that’s the perception of people who don’t know the world of tennis or sports,” explained the Spaniard.

“When a guy arrives and wins twenty-two, [it] greatly detracts from what has happened before. And that is unfair too. That’s why we have to value what there is, without comparing it with what there has been.

“Enjoying something that to me, especially Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz, seem like two out of the ordinary. I think we have been very lucky with the two of them, taking into account that we come from Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Andy Murray, etc… and nothing more.”

Lopez, who turned professional in 1997, won seven ATP singles titles during an impressive 26-year career, which he called time on in June last year. The big-serving left-hander lost to Yannick Hanfmann in the quarter-finals of the Mallorca Championships in his final match.

The Spaniard also won six doubles titles, including the 2016 French Open, and reached a career-high ATP doubles ranking of world No 9.