Carlos Alcaraz praised the ‘Big 3’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic and thinks they did something which is ‘impossible’ to replicate.
The three icons, who hold a combined 66 Grand Slam championships, committed some of the greatest matches of time in some of the game’s most enthralling rivalries.
They have set a huge standard in the game which the young players such as Carlos Alcaraz and World number one Jannik Sinner are having to follow.
But the duo are doing an impressive job of carving out their own legacy and writing their names into tennis history books.
What does Carlos Alcaraz think Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic did which will be tough to replicate?
Alcaraz watched Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic dominate men’s tennis for a number of years.
The Spaniard was one of the few players who was able to break through and defeat one of these players at the highest level, as Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in successive Wimbledon finals.
The World number three has a long way to go to come anywhere close to what the ‘Big 3’ achieved, and though his rivalry with Sinner looks to be promising, he thinks the trio of tennis legends are in a league of their own.
“It’s complicated. They have set the bar for tennis and what can be achieved at an astronomical level. There are many players capable of winning Grand Slams, of beating the best,” Alcaraz told Spanish outlet El Nuevo Dia.
“Young players—including myself—who can truly compete for big things. But reaching the level of rivalry that Rafa, Federer, and Djokovic had, honestly, that is practically impossible to repeat.
“We will have our battles; I will have my battles with great players, but a rivalry like theirs will be almost impossible to replicate.”
Carlos Alcaraz compares tennis eras
Alcaraz is at the forefront of a new era in men’s tennis, succeeding the ‘Big 3’, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi of the 1990s and Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Each of these eras took tennis to new heights and offered something unique to all the fans that watched these respective rivalries play out.
Alcaraz is now doing the same in his rivalry with Sinner and his other rivals, and believes they will help to evolve tennis just like those before them.
“The era of (John) McEnroe and all those players was very different from the one Federer, Rafa, and Djokovic had,” he said. “And our era, our moment, is going to be different from theirs.
“Tennis keeps evolving—the tournaments, the speed of the balls, everything changes. And we have to adapt as tennis evolves.
“I think Rafa, Federer, and Djokovic have set certain expectations for us, but tennis will continue to evolve, and we will evolve with it.”
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