Former World No. 1 Mats Wilander has boldly claimed that Carlos Alcaraz is not like the ‘Big 3’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. The Swede believes Alcaraz “needs a challenge” and cannot play every match at a high level.
After the Italian Open final, where Alcaraz trumped Sinner for the fourth straight time, Wilander compared the pair to the ‘Big 3’ of tennis. The Swede claimed that Sinner reminded him more of the tennis legends than Alcaraz.
“Carlos Alcaraz needs a challenge… And I think that, first of all, he’s turning 22 years old in a few days, and at this point in his career, he’s not like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Novak Djokovic,” Wilander said (via TNTSports).
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The 60-year-old said that not Alcaraz but Sinner can already show full commitment in each match like the tennis legends.
"He's not quite able to play every match like it is the final of Roland-Garros, which the other three were able to, and I think Jannik Sinner is able to do that, but Carlos Alcaraz is not quite there yet," he added.
Further, the seven-time Grand Slam champion emphasized that Alcaraz still needs time to grow and shouldn't be expected to dominate every tournament. However, when the stakes are high, Alcaraz tends to rise to the occasion and play his best tennis.
Jannik Sinner vs. Carlos Alcaraz Final at the French Open 2025 may be the "biggest match" of this generation, says Mats Wilander
Jannik Sinner returned from a three-month doping ban earlier this month and played at his home Masters 1000 event in Rome. He was in exceptional form to begin the tournament, which left many surprised. Dropping only one set, the World No. 1 reached the final but lost to Carlos Alcaraz.
"I can't believe how good Jannik Sinner played after taking three months off from playing matches," Wilander said.
Further, he talked about how this sets up for an exciting 2025 French Open. The Swede claimed that a Sinner vs. Alcaraz final could be the "biggest match" of this generation.
"But to me, it's an unbelievably exciting pre-tournament for Roland-Garros, because what we're hoping for now is a Sinner v Alcaraz final, which would be a match for this generation, maybe the biggest match that we have seen in this generation," he added.
The French Open draw is set to take place on Thursday, May 22. Sinner is the top seed with Alcaraz second, and Alexander Zverev third, followed by the rest of the tour. The main draw matches are scheduled to begin on Sunday, May 25.
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