“We were who we were” – Rafael Nadal strongly shuts down talks of Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner being the new Federer, Djokovic & him

Rafael Nadal dismissed comparisons of the ‘Big Three’ with the rise of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as the top-two in the world. Alcaraz recently won the US Open title, his sixth Major win at just 22 years old.

Rafael Nadal has written history in tennis as one of the leading figures in the ATP during the 21st century. His dominance on the clay court, where he amassed a record 14 Grand Slam titles, remains unmatched. A toe-to-toe rival of Roger Federer, the Spaniard faced him 40 times, leading the head-to-head 24-16.

Shortly after, Novak Djokovic emerged as their biggest challenger on court, matching their feats and breaking records. Widely known as the ‘Big Three,’ they led the sport for nearly two decades and became the greatest of the modern era. In the current scenario, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are en route to mark a similar history, having shared the last eight Grand Slam titles between them.

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In a recent charity golf tournament by the Clínica Menorca Foundation, Nadal dismissed the constant comparisons of the Big Three with Sinner and Alcaraz. The Spaniard clarified that he, Federer, and Nadal had a different story, and they could challenge whatever existed until then.

“We were who we were, and that’s it. In the end, everyone has to live their own story, each story is different, and there’s no need to be comparing all the time. What we had was an era of three players who changed, just a little bit, the numbers that had existed until then."

Nadal received a hero's farewell at the 2025 Roland Garros, and even unveiled his footprint embedded in the clay of Court Philippe‑Chatrier as a tribute.

Rafael Nadal heaped praise on Carlos Alcaraz for his success on the tour

Carlos Alcaraz's 2025 French Open win matched a unique feat of Nadal as the latter won his fifth Grand Slam at the same age. Unstoppable on the court, he racked up wins in the Queen's Club Championships and Cincinnati Open before reclaiming the top rank alongside the US Open honor.

At the charity golf event, Nadal praised Alcaraz and noted that it was great to have someone carry forward the legacy for Spanish players.

“Yes, he’s having an impressive career. He is a very special player, we’ve known that for years, but time keeps confirming it, and he is making what is already an impressive career even better. The truth is, having someone like him in Spain helps us to continue being a tennis reference country worldwide, which we have been for many years. And I don’t say this just because of me, it goes back much earlier. Carlos gives continuity to this whole era of successes, not only in tennis, but also in sport in general."

Nadal has not only made strides with his talent on the court but has also made an impact by mentoring several athletes through his eponymous academy.

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About the author

Agnijeeta Majumder

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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