Tennis great Mats Wilander stated that not many players have exhibited better tennis than Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, adding that it has been a delight to watch the two young stars perform at their best recently. He hinted that Alcaraz and Sinner are competing at a higher level than the Big Three—Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Speaking after Sinner and Alcaraz delivered a thrilling showdown in the China Open final on October 2, Wilander remarked that the leaders of the next generation of men’s singles tennis are following in the footsteps of the legendary Big Three.
“They are following in the footsteps of the ‘Big Three’ in terms of level. 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,” Wilander said.
“Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner put on such a great, entertaining show. To me, it’s up there with the absolute best sporting events ever. It keeps happening every single time they play. They come up with suspense, they come up with entertainment,” he added.
Alcaraz and Sinner were involved in a slugfest in the China Open final on Wednesday. The battle between the No. 3 and No. 1 in men’s tennis was widely anticipated and the battle did not disappoint as the two men produced high-quality action.
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 in a sensational come-from-behind effort to win the ATP 500 title. Alcaraz was down 0-3 in the final tie-breaker, but he produced tennis of the highest order to deny Sinner another title in the season.
‘WE BRING A HIGH LEVEL OF TENNIS’
With the win over Sinner in Beijing, Alcaraz extended his record to 3-0 over the World No. 1 this year. The Spaniard had explained that the Italian keeps pushing him to the limits, praising their growing rivalry in the sport.
“I always think that when we play against each other, we put the level to the top. We bring a really high level of tennis,” Alcaraz said..
“I think that’s good for tennis, to bring some fans to tennis who have probably never watched tennis before.
“I always try to enjoy playing against Jannik. He pushes me to the limit every time. He makes me a better player on the court. I think that’s the beauty of tennis.”
In 2024, Alcaraz and Sinner established a clear two-way race for glory in men’s singles tennis. While the Spaniard won the French Open and Wimbledon, Sinner won the Australian Open and the US Open. After their entertaining battle in Bejing, the two players will next be in action at the Shanghai Masters.
