Rafael Nadal generally doesn’t react to people offering their views on the legacy of Big-3 (Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic) and comparing them with modern tennis stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. However, the latest opinion from tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou left him in splits. Mouratoglou compared 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic with Alcaraz and Sinner after the recently concluded Australian Open.
Djokovic defeated Sinner in the semifinals of the Australian Open to reach his first Grand Slam final in over two years. However, he lost to Alcaraz in the finals at Rod Laver Arena. Since 38-year-old Djokovic defeated much younger Sinner, many have taken it as proof that the Big-3 is better than the current dominance of Alcaraz and the Italian.
However, Mouratoglou remains firm on his opinion that Alcaraz and Sinner have traits not even seen in Big-3 and basically said they might be better.
“For those who think that Djokovic beating Sinner in the semi-final of the Australian Open means that the Big Three are playing better tennis than Alcaraz and Sinner, this is a very short-sighted view. Let me explain,” Mouratoglou said. “Just remember that Sinner had won the five previous matches they played against each other. One match will not make me change my mind about what I’ve seen over the last two or three years.
Jannick moves faster, hits harder, takes the ball earlier, and serves better than Novak. But Novak has the strongest mentality in the history of tennis, and that’s what made the difference. That’s what has defined his entire career. Sinner won 12 more points throughout the whole match than Novak, but he lost because Novak won the big points, the ones that mattered most. Novak is not a better tennis player than Sinner, but he is the greatest competitor in history, and he was better than Yannick Sinner in that match.”
Under the comments section of Mouratoglou’s post, Nadal’s reaction said it all. He commented:
“🤭🫣🤣🤣🤣”
It appears Nadal is laughing at Mouratoglou’s opinion and might not be agreeing with with him in any sense.
Rafael Nadal Wants Comparisons to Be Put Aside Right Now
Rafael Nadal is not unaware of the rising comparisons between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s dominance over the last two years and the Big 3’s dominance for the better part of the last two decades.
According to 14-time Roland Garros champion, those comparisons need to be put aside right now.
“They’re Sinner and Carlos, and we were us, and that’s it,” Nadal said at a charity golf event in Madrid. In the end, everyone has to live their own story; every story is different, and there’s no reason to compare things all day long… Let’s enjoy this great rivalry and stop comparing.”
Therefore, Nadal doesn’t believe in comparing eras while also noting that it would be premature and unfair to equate Alcaraz and Sinner with the Big Three until their careers are fully written.
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