‘No-one has played better than Alcaraz and Sinner – not even Nadal, Federer or Djokovic’

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz person won each 4 Grand Slams betwixt them this twelvemonth and Mats Wilander believes they person produced amended tennis than the 'Big Three' astatine their peaks

Tennis fable Mats Wilander says determination is "no way" Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal person ever played amended tennis than rising stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Sinner and Alcaraz swept each 4 Grand Slams betwixt them this twelvemonth and are tipped to predominate the athletics for years to come, pursuing successful the footsteps of their predecessors. The world's top-ranked subordinate Sinner clinched the Australian Open and the US Open, portion his Spanish rival Alcaraz claimed the French Open and Wimbledon.

The 2 were locked successful different aggravated showdown during the China Open last this week, wherever world No.3 Alcaraz won 7 consecutive points successful the tiebreaker to triumph 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (3), having besides beaten the Italian astatine Indian Wells and Roland Garros.

Wilander, a seven-time Grand Slam champion himself betwixt 1982 to 1988, has boldly claimed that the emerging duo person already outshone the 'Big Three' successful presumption of their tennis prowess. That comes contempt Federer, who hung up his racket successful 2022, Nadal and Djokovic being wide hailed arsenic the 3 top players of each clip with a staggering 66 Grand Slam titles betwixt them.

Speaking to EuroSport, the 60-year-old Swede said: "They are pursuing successful the footsteps of the 'Big Three' successful presumption of level. I anticipation Roger, Novak, and Rafa are not listening, but successful presumption of level, erstwhile Sinner and Alcaraz are astatine their best, determination is nary mode anyone has ever played amended tennis.

"Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner enactment connected specified a great, entertaining show. To me, it's up determination with the implicit champion sporting events ever. It keeps happening each azygous clip they play. They travel up with suspense, they travel up with entertainment."

Alcaraz ended Sinner’s 15-match winning streak this week, taking the Spaniard’s head-to-head grounds against the Italian to 6-4 arsenic they some prosecute glory astatine the Shanghai Masters. But contempt their fierce rivalry connected the court, Alcaraz insists their relationship echoes the camaraderie seen among the 'Big Three’ earlier them.

"We person a truly bully narration disconnected the tribunal arsenic well," Alcaraz said. "I deliberation we some respect each different a lot, arsenic a player, arsenic a person, but erstwhile we are connected circuit travelling, during tournaments erstwhile we are connected site, we are with our squad connected our own, truthful we don't talk excessively much.

"When we can, we speech a small spot too tennis, astir beingness a small bit, but not excessively much. We person a bully relationship, but we are not adjacent friends, but I deliberation the respect that we person enactment america successful a presumption that we person a truly bully relationship.

"When Jannik and I look each other, playing against each other, I deliberation it's a truly bully happening for tennis due to the fact that we ever amusement a truly aggravated match, truly adjacent match, large points, large rallies. I deliberation for the radical who don't ticker tennis, astir apt acknowledgment to these benignant of matches, [they] commencement to ticker tennis oregon adjacent practise it. I deliberation it is beauteous good."

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