Regarding the rise of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as the new faces of men’s tennis following the ‘Big 3’ era, Rafael Nadal has expressed his thoughts. The Spaniard did not, however, draw a parallel between their developing rivalry and his own illustrious battles with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Nadal has arrived in Riyadh for the Six Kings Slam exhibition, the penultimate stop before his farewell, where he will compete with Djokovic, Alcaraz, Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune. If the Italian defeats Medvedev and the Serb, Alcaraz may play the 22-time Grand Slam champion in the semifinals before facing Sinner in a possible thrilling final.
After ten tour-level encounters, Alcaraz and Sinner have developed one of the most interesting rivalries on the circuit. In their most recent title match at the 2024 China Open, the two played a thrilling match. The Spaniard won 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) to take a 6-4 lead in their head-to-head record.
In a recent interview, Nadal acknowledged that the rivalry between the two is fascinating, but he advised against drawing parallels to his own rivalries with Djokovic and Federer.
He talked about it and said: “They’re doing great. They’re very young. They’re already achieving amazing things, winning Grand Slams and Masters 1000s, and creating great numbers. These two guys especially, Carlos and Jannik, are making a special thing. I wish them all the very best to keep growing. They’re already huge stars. I’m sure if they’re able to stay free of injuries, they’re gonna build an amazing career.”
The 38-year-old claimed that since Djokovic was still playing on the tour, it was too soon to make historical comparisons. Nadal underlined how crucial it is to let Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz write their own stories without having to contend with the intense rivalry between the Big 3.
He added: “We need to wait but of course this year, already two Gand Slams each, number one, and number two in the world, so they are creating their own story. I mean, I think it’s not the moment to compare eras because Novak is still there. Roger and I, we left, we’re gonna leave soon but that’s part of the sports career of everyone so now it’s a new generation coming. We need to leave them, create their own rivalries and create their own story, they don’t need the comparisons with us and let’s see at the end of their careers, then going to be the moment to compare what they did, what we did.”
Rafa Nadal says now is not the time to compare Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to the Big Three, ‘We need to let them create their own rivalries & their own story.. They don’t need the comparisons with us’
“The younger competition are coming through. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik… pic.twitter.com/lpSmeGrDEv
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 16, 2024
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Ranked no.153, Nadal played his last match on the 29th of July when he lost to world no.4 Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-4 in the 2nd round in Paris (draw).
Currently, during this year the Spaniard has achieved a 12-7 record. Rafael Nadal’s best achievement of the current year was reaching the final in Bastad.
Carlos Alcaraz in 2024
WLWLLWLWWW Ranked world no.2, Carlos played his last match on the 10th of October when he was defeated by world no.25 Tomas Machac 7-6(5) 7-5 in the quarter in Shanghai (draw).
This season Carlos owns an overall 51-10 record. Carlos has won 4 titles in 2024 in Indian Wells, French Open, Wimbledon and Beijing. Alcaraz reached the final in Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz will compete against the world no.368 Gabi Adrian Boitan in the . They have never competed against each other till now in top tournaments.
Alcaraz has won 4 titles in 2024 in Indian Wells, French Open, Wimbledon and Beijing. Carlos was the runner-up in Paris (Olympics).
Alcaraz won 17 titles in his career: 5 on hard courts, 8 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 3 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play in Paris (Rolex Paris Masters). The main draw will start on the 28th of October.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz fought against each other 3 times. Their current record is 2-1 for Nadal. Before, the last time they locked horns, Carlos Alcaraz won 6-2 1-6 6-3 in the quarter in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) in May 2022.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Jannik Sinner in 2024
WWWWWWWWWW Now ranked no.1, Jannik played his last match on the 13th of October when he defeated world no.4 Novak Djokovic 7-6(4) 6-3 in the final in Shanghai to win his 18th career title.
Until now, during this year Jannik has a 65-6 record. Jannik clinched 7 titles in 2024 at the Australian Open, Rotterdam, Miami, Halle, Cincinnati, U.S. Open and Shanghai. Sinner was the finalist in Beijing.
Novak Djokovic in 2024
LWWWWWWLWW Now ranked no.4, Novak played his last match on the 13th of October when he was defeated by world no.1 Jannik Sinner 7-6(4) 6-3 in the final in Shanghai (draw).
Currently, during this year the Serbian has a 37-9 record. This year, Djokovic won 1 tournament in Paris. Novak was the finalist in Wimbledon and in Shanghai.
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic played each other 8 times. The head to head is 4-4. Previously, the last time they played each other, Jannik Sinner won 7-6(4) 6-3 in the final in Shanghai (Shanghai Rolex Masters) on the 13th of October 2024.
Here are the highlights.
Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic |
| Embed from Getty Images |
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Ranked world no.153, Rafael played his last match on the 29th of July when he lost to world no.4 Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-4 in the 2nd round in Paris (draw).
This season the Spaniard has a 12-7 record. Rafael Nadal’s most significant achievement of this year was reaching the final in Bastad.
Carlos Alcaraz in 2024
WLWLLWLWWW Now the world no.2, Carlos played his last match on the 10th of October when he capitulated to world no.25 Tomas Machac 7-6(5) 7-5 in the quarter in Shanghai (draw).
This year Alcaraz has achieved a compiled 51-10 record. The Spaniard clinched 4 titles in 2024 in Indian Wells, French Open, Wimbledon and Beijing. The Spaniard got to the final in Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz will square off with the world no.368 Gabi Adrian Boitan in the . In the past, they have never competed against each other until now on the main tour.
Carlos has won 4 titles in 2024 in Indian Wells, French Open, Wimbledon and Beijing. Alcaraz was the finalist in Paris (Olympics).
The Spaniard won 17 titles in his career: 5 on hard courts, 8 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 3 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play in Paris (Rolex Paris Masters). The main draw will start on the 28th of October.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz played each other 3 times. The head to head is 2-1 for Nadal. Previously, the last time they played each other, Carlos Alcaraz won 6-2 1-6 6-3 in the quarter in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) in May 2022.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Jannik Sinner in 2024
WWWWWWWWWW At the moment ranked no.1, the Italian played his last match on the 13th of October when he beat world no.4 Novak Djokovic 7-6(4) 6-3 in the final in Shanghai to win his 18th career title.
This season Jannik has a 65-6 win-loss record. Jannik clinched 7 titles in 2024 at the Australian Open, Rotterdam, Miami, Halle, Cincinnati, U.S. Open and Shanghai. Jannik was the runner-up in Beijing.
Novak Djokovic in 2024
LWWWWWWLWW Ranked no.4, Novak played his last match on the 13th of October when he lost to world no.1 Jannik Sinner 7-6(4) 6-3 in the final in Shanghai (draw).
Currently, during this season Djokovic has a 37-9 win-loss record. This year, the Serbian won 1 title in Paris. The Serbian was the finalist in Wimbledon and in Shanghai.
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic played each other 8 times. The head to head is 4-4. Previously, the last time they played each other, Jannik Sinner won 7-6(4) 6-3 in the final in Shanghai (Shanghai Rolex Masters) on the 13th of October 2024.
Here are the highlights.
Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic |
| Embed from Getty Images |
