Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are both on track to shatter a myriad of records in their careers.
The Spaniard and the Italian, ranked first and second respectively, are head and shoulders above the rest of the ATP Tour and have dominated men’s tennis in 2025.
Parallels have been drawn by fans and pundits between the ‘new two’ and the ‘big three’ era, which was headlined by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Sinner and Alcaraz are on course to match the Grand Slam tallies of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, but some are unsure as to whether they are on the same level as them.
Though they are not yet in their primes, Serena Williams‘ former coach, Rick Macci, thinks Sinner and Alcaraz, at their current level, would make it difficult for the ‘big three’ if they were in the same era.
Rick Macci discusses the level of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
In a post on X, Macci said: “Many people chirping [that] Alcaraz [and] Sinner benefit from a weaker top ten than with Fed, Joker, Rafa [and Andy] Murray, etc.
“I agree, but the eye test says Carlos [and] Jannik would do just fine, and the others in the top ten would be top twenty and most likely the big three would not have become the big three. It cuts both ways.”
Why do you think Carlos Alcaraz has struggled at the Australian Open in the past?
2021 Australian Open – 1R
2022 Australian Open – 3R
2024 Australian Open – QF
2025 Australian Open – QF
The ‘big three’, along with Andy Murray, managed to dominate men’s tennis when the likes of Stan Wawrinka, Tomas Berdych and Juan Martin Del Potro were on the tour.
Many fans argue that Sinner and Alcaraz’s success is diminished by the lack of competition around them.
The closest to them in the rankings is world number three Alexander Zverev, who has not managed to beat either Sinner or Alcaraz in 2025.
While Djokovic is still playing at the highest level at 38 years of age, he admitted that he is not able to compete with the top two players in the world anymore.
Where Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s major tallies rank all-time
This year, Alcaraz secured his sixth Grand Slam title, which now puts him level with greats such as Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg.
He is now just one behind John McEnroe and Mats Wilander, and two adrift from Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors.
If you could change one rule in tennis what would it be and why?
Sinner, on the other hand, now has four majors to his name, having added a second Australian Open and a maiden Wimbledon championship to his trophy cabinet in 2025.
He, like Alcaraz, has already surpassed Murray and Wawrinka, and has as many Grand Slams as Jim Courier and Guillermo Vilas.
The Grand Slam season for the last two years has seen Sinner and Alcaraz split all four titles between them.
Should they continue averaging two majors a year, they will have a great chance at equalling the totals of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
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