Seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander sensationally claimed that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner can establish a rivalry that surpasses that of the ‘Big Three.’ This did not sit well with former German player Boris Becker, who promptly expressed his disagreement with Wilander’s viewpoint.
After fans were treated to the epic rivalry between the ‘Big Three’ of tennis – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic – for several years, some believe that Sinner and Alcaraz are on track to creating one such rivalry in the 2020s.
The duo has the entire tennis world rooting for them to make it possible. However, the German believes it is premature to claim that they are better than the three legends.
Mats, a tennis expert for Eurosport, expressed his admiration for their battle during the China Open 2024 final, where Alcaraz narrowly defeated Sinner. This made the former Swedish tennis player conclude that when Sinner and Alcaraz play at their best, they are better than everyone else.
“I hope Roger, Novak, and Rafa are not listening, in terms of level, when Sinner and Alcaraz are at their best, there is no way anyone has ever played better tennis,’ he told Eurosport.
Former Ukrainian tennis player Alex Dolgopolov was the first to disagree with the seven-time grand slam champion. In response, Becker wrote, “Agree with Alex and Eurosport! Apologies Mats ….”
Agree with Alex and Eurosport!
Apologies Mats …. https://t.co/1pSs18oO6t— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) October 4, 2024
In his tweet, Alex mentioned that he does not watch tennis regularly these days, but he was able to catch the highlights of the 2024 China Open. He believes that the ‘Big Three’ were better with their techniques.
“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,” wrote the Ukrainian.
The Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry, however, is very similar to what Federer-Nadal had in the early years of their career.
Sinner-Alcaraz vs Federer-Nadal
While Sinner is currently the top-ranked tennis player, Alcaraz has constantly proven to be a threat to the Italian’s spot, having won six of the ten games they played against each other. Similarly, Nadal was Federer’s kryptonite in 2005, when the Swiss Maestro was the world’s top-ranked player.
Outside the tennis court, the two also share a respectable off-court relationship, similar to ‘Fedal’. They recently made headlines after boarding the same flight from Beijing to Shanghai, along with their respective teams, to participate in the ongoing Masters.
Despite its early stage, it will be fascinating to see if the two youngsters’ rivalry can replicate the Big Three’s success over the last two decades.
