Alexandr Dolgopolov respectfully disagreed with Mats Wilander’s take that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are the matchup with “the best tennis” as the former Ukrainian tennis star thinks there is no way any matchup can be compared to the ones Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer shared between them.
On Tuesday, the Spaniard won his first Beijing title after edging out the world No. 1 6-7 (6) 6-4 7-6 (3) in an absolute thriller. The final lasted three hours and 21 minutes, which set the record for the longest match in tournament history.
Throughout the match, both Alcaraz and Sinner played at a very high level and small details determined the winner. While there was no doubt that it was one of the matches of the year, former seven-time Grand Slam champion Wilander went a step further and issued a huge take.
“I hope Roger, Novak, and Rafa are not listening, but in terms of level, when Sinner and Alcaraz are at their best, there is no way anyone has ever played better tennis,” the Swede told Eurosport.
Dolgopolov dismisses Wilander’s take
The Ukrainian, who was ranked as high as No. 13 in the world, played against every Big Three member multiple times. Against Djokovic (0-6) and Federer (0-5), he didn’t record a single but had a bit of success against Nadal, beating him twice in their nine meetings.
Alexandr Dolgopolov© Alexandr Dolgopolov/Instagram – Fair Use
“Sorry Mats, I rarely watch any tennis lately, but accidentally watched these highlights and my opinion is probably worthless. Tend to strongly disagree, big 3 had way higher level of understanding the heights, pace changes and angles. On a good day would never pick present stars,” Dolgopolov stated.
Sorry Mats, I rarely watch any tennis lately, but accidentally watched these highlights and my opinion is probably worthless.
Tend to strongly disagree, big 3 had way higher level of understanding the heights, pace changes and angles.
On a good day would never pick present stars https://t.co/hMANaQiq80
— Alex Dolgopolov (@TheDolgo) October 3, 2024
Meanwhile, the 35-year-old Ukrainian retired from pro tennis in 2021. But before that, his last match came in 2018. During those three years, he had multiple wrist surgeries but unfortunately never managed to recover.
Since the start of the Russian invasion, Dolgopolov has been a part of the Ukrainian troops defending their country.