After the final of Wimbledon 2023, Novak Djokovic himself must admit that Alcaraz is stronger than the “Big Three” – the legendary trio of Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. “I’ve won a lot of finals in a near-lost situation, so I predict this match will be relatively even. However, in reality it is difficult. Because today’s opponent is Carlos. He’s always been very steady and alert at key moments. At his age, Carlos shows unparalleled strength both physically and mentally, playing his best tennis,” Djokovic emphasized on L’Equipe.
According to this former world No. 1 player, Alcaraz is the best male tennis player in the world today: “Carlos has come back very strong and made unbelievable shots. Above all, there is no doubt that Carlos has proven himself to be the best tennis player in the world today.”
Djokovic also admits, a lot of people say that there are similarities of Federer, Nadal and himself in Alcaraz’s play. “I totally agree. Basically, he accumulated the best of the three of us combined. Carlos has incredible resilience and maturity in a 20-year-old guy.
He has the fighting spirit, the very Spanish competitiveness, the great defensive ability that we can find in Rafa. Carlos’ two-handed backhand has similarities to mine. It can be said that my strengths in recent years, he has all,” Djokovic did not hesitate to analyze the opponent who just defeated him.
A month ago, Djokovic won Roland Garros 2023 and proved that his form is still excellent, completely able to compete fairly with the young Spaniard. But the loss to Alcaraz in the 2023 Wimbledon final showed that the Serbian player was no longer able to keep up with his talented young opponent.
“Honestly, I have never faced anyone like him. Roger and Rafa have their own strengths and weaknesses, but Carlos is very comprehensive. He has a specialty of small misses that make opponents swoon. I think it’s Carlos’s ability to adapt well that will allow him to have a long, stable career and win every tournament,” Djokovic added.
Djokovic will come back stronger at the 2023 US Open in August. But, times have changed, the Big Three are gradually stepping back into the past. Federer retired, Nadal also planned to hang up the racket next year, and Djokovic was alone to compete with Gen Z, with the leading bird Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz’s first Wimbledon title reaffirmed the Spaniard’s world number one position, who is expected to dominate tennis for the next decade with consistent form. youth, mettle, mischievousness, and unparalleled strength.
At the age of 20, the achievement of the Big Three is not even equal to Alcaraz at the present time. On May 6, 2022, Alcaraz became the youngest person to defeat the world No. 1 since 2004, after he defeated Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open. Alcaraz is also the first player to beat both Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on clay.
On September 11, 2022, Alcaraz became the youngest world No. 1 player in ATP history at 19 years, 4 months and 6 days, breaking the record of Lleyton Hewitt. He also became the first teenager in the new era to top the men’s chart and the youngest US Open men’s singles champion since Pete Sampras in 1990.
At the age of 20, Alcaraz has the endurance of Nadal, the bravery of Djokovic and the pomp of Federer. He is predicted to become the “Tennis King” of Gen Z.
The era of the Big Three is drifting into the past. Now is the era of Alcaraz and young Gen Z talents.
