The tennis world is encountering a great shift with the era of Tennis Big Three slowly fading. As fresh successors take their place, legends are taking notes of them. However, Carlos Alacarz‘s recent match has thrown him under the spotlight, raising a pertinent question about the sport’s future. As the expert’s opinion sidelined the greats Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal, the community is abuzz with a question: Are these newcomers captivating attention where even the legends are falling short?

The 2024 China Open saw a great on-court battle between Alcaraz and Sinner. The 21-year-old Spaniard defeated the ATP number one on the Asian ground in a dramatic match. He superseded the Italian by 6(6)-7(8), 6-4, and 7(7)-6(3). While Sinner offered a great battle, the Spaniard continued his victory streak against him in their third encounter this season. In the three-hour 21-minute encounter, the longest in the tournament history, the Spaniard lost a break lead in the first and third sets but then started leading from 0/3 in the final tie-break set to win the match. While Sinner won 18 of 19 tie-breaks heading towards the final one, Alcaraz put on his career’s greatest fights on Wednesday as he stormed to the victory from 0/3 down.

Now, the former Swedish number one had an interesting insight into this final between Sinner and Alcaraz. The legend believed that Sinner and Alcaraz’s on-court battle was something that even Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal couldn’t offer to their supporters. “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,” said Mats Wilander. Wilander’s statement turned a few eyes because he presented the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry as better than the Tennis Big Three.

Mats Wilander with a pretty wild take
byu/edotardy intennis

Wednesday’s China Open finals might move Wilander, but his statement seems controversial. Federer has won 20 Grand Slams, Djokovic has 24 Grand Slams and the Mallorcan has 22 Grand Slam titles in their decade-long career. Djokovic won his career’s Olympic gold in Paris at 37. There is practically no way to ignore these three talented players’ professional achievements. While Wilander might try to highlight the Italian and the Spaniard for their brilliant performance, his statement might show the possibility of them replacing the Tennis GOATs with their potential in the future.

On the other hand, Alcaraz had an interesting revelation about his victory. Oozing with great confidence, this Spaniard expressed his delight, showing why he deserves to be seen as Nadal’s true legacy-bearer.

Delighted Carlos Alcaraz revealed he “never lost hope”

After emerging victorious in his third battle against his toughest rival, Alcaraz displayed an undeniable air of self-assurance. “I never lost hope,” he began. Then he continued, “Honestly, I knew that [when I started it] that every tie-break Jannik plays is almost to his side. I thought that in the third set, I’m not going to lie, 3-love down, two mini breaks for him. So I didn’t lose hope, but I thought, ‘Okay, I have to give everything that I have just to try to give myself the opportunity to be close.”

However, the Spaniard knew he had to make it his day. “During the whole week I’ve been playing great tennis. Probably sometimes the luck went to my side a little bit in the matches. But in general I feel great on court, I feel great off the court as well with my team,” he concluded.

Mats Wilander’s statement highlights the potential between Sinner and Alcaraz. The Spaniard fought his best battle on Wednesday and the Italian was equally great in his defense. However, there is always one winner in every tournament! While the day belonged to Alcaraz, Sinner proved his worth with an intense fight justifying that they are true legacy bearers of Tennis Big Three.