After Rafael Nadal responded to Patrick Mouratoglou’s bold comparison between tennis’ Big Three and Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, Boris Becker also voiced his disagreement. The French coach, however, turned it into a heated argument with a strong response.
Through an Instagram Reel, Mouratoglou argued that Novak Djokovic’s semifinal win over Sinner at the Australian Open should not be taken as proof that the ‘Big 3’, including Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer, played better tennis than the Italian and the World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
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He described that view as “short-sighted.” According to Mouratoglou, Sinner moves faster, strikes the ball harder, takes it earlier, and serves better than Djokovic. However, he maintained that the Serb possesses the strongest mentality in tennis history, which ultimately proved decisive.
Nadal reacted with laughing emojis on the Reel. Meanwhile, Becker wrote on X:
“Patrick, I think your alone with your opinion!”
The former coach of Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka responded strongly to Becker’s comment. Mouratoglou wrote:
“I never made an opinion based on what people think but out of my own opinion. Only dead fish swim with the stream.”
Sinner has gained ground in his head-to-head with Djokovic in recent seasons, winning several of their latest meetings. Alcaraz has also beaten Djokovic in multiple Grand Slam finals, underlining the shift at the top of the men’s game.
Still, these results have come as the Big Three era winds down, with Federer retired, Nadal stepping away, and Djokovic in the later stages of his career. That makes direct comparisons across eras complicated.
Mouratoglou shared his assessment based on current form and level, while Becker and Nadal offered a different perspective shaped by their own experiences. Ultimately, these debates are subjective, and each viewpoint reflects how people interpret the evolution of the sport.
“They’re Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, and we were us, and that’s it” – Rafael Nadal on the comparison
Since Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have begun dominating the tour like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer once did, comparisons were inevitable. The Spanish legend, however, has refuted these comparisons and claimed that all of them are different entities.
“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.”
Notably, Alcaraz and Sinner have captured the last nine Grand Slam men’s singles titles between them. Since Novak Djokovic’s US Open triumph in 2023, Sinner has gone on to win two Australian Open titles, one Wimbledon, and one US Open crown.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, has claimed two French Open titles and one each at the US Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon, marking a clear shift at the top of the men’s game.
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Edited by Aliasgar Ayaz
