Patrick Mouratoglou has been one of the most prominent figures in the tennis world for a long time. The Frenchman is never the one to shy away from a strong opinion and is always surrounded by controversy. In a recent interview, Mouratoglou stated that he does not agree with Carlos Alcaraz being labelled as a ‘Big Three’ in men’s tennis.
Despite having extraordinary success as a twenty-year-old, Patrick Mouratoglou feels that Alcaraz has to do a lot more to be included in the same bracket as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. He further added that the ‘Big Three’ tag is for players with 20 and more Grand Slam titles and Alcaraz, so far, has just 2.
What does Carlos Alcaraz need to get into the Big 3?
Carlos Alcaraz might only be 20 years old but he has made a habit of breaking records. The Spaniard has already broken a few records, including those of the current ‘Big Three’ and looks set to break more in the future. In 2022, Alcaraz became the youngest number 1 ranked player in the world and the youngest year-end number 1 at 19 years and 5 months old.
Many pundits and fans alike are touting Alcaraz to break many more records in tennis due to his fiercely competitive nature and his technical ability but it is still premature to predict the future. Mouratoglou feels that the ‘Big Three’ label belongs to Nadal, Federer and Djokovic due to their ability to win a record number of Slams and constantly perform for decades, something that Alcaraz is yet to do.
“Big Three is when you talk about guys with 20 plus Grand Slams, and only Roger, Rafa and Novak have that. So to label someone in the ‘Big Three’ in the men’s tour makes no sense to me.”
Mouratoglou admitted that Alcaraz is in an ‘incredible position’ in his career but still has to prove a lot to be considered amongst the best.
Can Alcaraz be better than the Big Three?
Alcaraz even being considered in the ‘Big Three’ is an incredible achievement given the tender age and inexperience of the Spaniard but fans and players alike are finding similarities between Alcaraz and Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. Novak Djokovic himself admitted that he thinks that Alcaraz has the best abilities of every player of the Big Three.
Speaking after his Wimbledon final defeat, Djokovic said he feels that Alcaraz has the ‘best mix’ of the ‘Big Three’ and admitted that he would be around the top of the men’s game for a long time.
“I think people have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself. I would agree with that. I think he’s got basically the best of all three worlds.”
Earlier, Ivan Ljubicic, Federer’s former coach had heaped praise on Alcaraz and stated that the youngster has the qualities of the Big Three: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz is still only 20 and with the world at his feet, but the only thing predictable in tennis is it’s unpredictability. For Alcaraz to reach the level of success of the ‘Big Three’, he will need immense focus, consistency, and fitness to sustain his high quality of game for years to come. Will he be able to do it? Only time will tell.
