Gael Monfils and Jeremy Chardy are the first to hail Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as “incredible” players but both agree that it is still very early to compare those two to Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer or think that they already better than the Big Three.
This year, the 23-year-old Italian and the 21-year-old Spaniard absolutely dominated the biggest tournaments, splitting four Grand Slams and also combined for five Masters wins. Also, it should be noted that Sinner won the ATP Finals – reached the world No. 1 position for the first time in his career – and posted a stunning 73-6 record.
Naturally, their dominance in 2024 led to some big takes and some even already now comparing them to the three greatest players in tennis history.
In October, Eurosport expert and former seven-time Grand Slam winner Mats Wilander stated that “no one has ever played better tennis” than Sinner and Alcaraz when at their best level.
Currently, the Italian has two Slams in his collection while the Spaniard sits at four.
Monfils, who has been on the Tour since 2004 and many times experienced on how his own skin how it felt to play a Big Three group member, suggests there needs to pass at least five to 10 more years just to see if there is enough to compare the current dominant forces to the likes of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.
“Of course, Jannik had an incredible year and Carlos as well, but we need to give it to Jannik because his record was just insane. It’s been an unbelievable year for him and on the numbers, he has to be the best player this year. It’s tough to compare Jannik and Carlos with the Big Three,” Monfils told Tennis365.
“These guys are still young, so let’s wait and see. Maybe in five years, ten years. Then comparisons will be easier. Now Carlos is 21, so it’s really tough to compare him to someone like Novak, who is 37 and has won so many Slams. What we can say is these two guys are doing it in a way that will give them a chance to match the legends in our sport.”
Gael Monfils© UTS Tour/Instagram – Fair Use
Chardy: Sinner and Alcaraz are amazing, but the Big Three have incredible records
Currently, Djokovic owns the all-time Slam record with 24 titles while Nadal finished with 22 and Federer won 20 during his career. For the 23-year-old and the 21-year-old to even come close or break those records, they would need to absolutely dominate tennis for at least another decade.
Chardy, a former world No. 25 who retired last year, applauded Sinner and Alcaraz’s early success but also suggested that it is silly to think that they are already better than the Big Three.
“Sinner and Alcaraz have been amazing and tennis is lucky to have them, but to say they are better than Roger, Rafa and Novak already… come on. I played these guys so many times in my career and they were incredible players with incredible records,” Chardy said.
“At the moment, Sinner and Alcaraz have had a good start to their careers, but you cannot compare them to Roger, Rafa and Novak yet, of course not. I don’t like to compare eras, maybe in ten years time we can look at what Jannik and Carlos have done and say it is comparable to these three guys, but not yet.”
What Nadal said about the same topic?
The rivalries that the Big Three shared between them went down didn’t only go down as one of the greatest in tennis but in all sports history.
Ahead of the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Nadal spoke with DAZN and he was asked about some comparing Sinner and Alcaraz to the Big Three. Answering the question, the Spanish tennis icon said it was too early for any comparisons to be made and urged the public to let those two “create their own story.”
“We need to wait, but of course. This year already two grand slams for each of them. Number 1 and number 2 in the world. They’re creating their own story. I think it’s not a moment to compare eras. Because Novak is still there. Roger and myself left.. but that’s part of the sports career of everyone. Now it’s a new generation coming. We need to let them create their own rivalries and their own story. They don’t need the comparisons with us. Let’s see at the end of their careers, then will be the moment to compete what they did and what we did,” Nadal said on DAZN in October.
Tennis World USA