NEW STANDARD: GREG RUSEDSKI SAYS CARLOS ALCARAZ, JANNIK SINNER ARE NEXT-LEVEL GREATS
Novak Djokovic questions claims that Alcaraz and Sinner have reached a "higher plane." But expert Greg Rusedski argues that each generation improves the standard.
Novak Djokovic questioned claims that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have moved tennis to a higher plane. He thinks such statements disrespect the achievements of the Big 3. But former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski told Tennis365 that the new Big 2 are special.
Djokovic pushed back on reports that Alcaraz and Sinner are playing at a level beyond what he, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer produced.
That trio won 66 Grand Slam titles. Some say the new dominant duo hit the ball harder and more consistently than the Big 3.
Rusedski chimed in, saying each generation ups the standard. That's why Alcaraz and Sinner are already considered among the sport's greats.
"Each generation gets better, and that's what we see with Alcaraz and Sinner," Rusedski said to Tennis365 before the release of his new podcast, Off Court with Greg.
Sports science is better. Methods are better. Racket tech is better. We say Alcaraz and Sinner are playing tennis we've never seen, but the greats of the past would rise to this level now if they had the same conditions.
My generation had Pete Sampras. He reached 14 Grand Slam titles to break the record, and everyone said it would never be broken.
Then came Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, who each won 20 or more Grand Slam titles. Include Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, too.
That time had three all-time greats, and everyone wondered what would happen when Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic were gone.
Then Alcaraz and Sinner show up. Sometimes there's a gap before new players dominate, but it happened fast with these two.
Rusedski thinks Alcaraz and Sinner have a grip on the sport because they bring distinct qualities.
Alcaraz burst onto the scene and won fast, like Rafael Nadal, he said. He's been great for the sport, and six Grand Slam titles are incredible.
Sinner uses his skiing skills to move so well on the court. I've never seen a player move like that.
Other players say they hit the ball so hard on both sides. Alex de Minaur said they hit it harder than Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic.
Their Roland Garros final this year was among the best matches ever, including the Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic match-ups.
That says we're seeing two players at another level. But whether they win as much as the 'Big 3' is a different question.
You have to respect Roger, Rafa, and Novak's longevity and achievements. Their records will be hard to break.
EMMA RADUCANU DROPS TO NO. 29 AS VIRAL ILLNESS DELAYS COMPETITIVE TENNIS RETURN
Emma Raducanu falls to World No. 29. Discover her Madrid Open comeback plans and the viral illness that halted her WTA season.
Emma Raducanu has slipped further down the WTA rankings as she focuses on regaining her full fitness. At 23, she has faced several interruptions since her breakthrough win at the US Open in 2021.
While Raducanu stands out as a major title winner, having claimed her US Open victory after navigating the qualifiers, she reached her highest ranking at No. 10 less than a year later. Since then, she hasn’t added another singles title to her name, working instead on finding steadiness in her game. She’s aiming to kick off her clay-court season at the Madrid Open later this month. Yet, her ranking has dipped ahead of that event, partly because she withdrew from both the Miami Open and the Linz Open.
Currently listed at No. 29, down one spot from 28, Raducanu hasn’t gained ranking points recently due to recovering from a viral illness. Her last appearance was at Indian Wells in March, where she exited in the third round against Amanda Anisimova.
Her decision to miss Miami and Linz came after falling ill. Reports from BBC Sport noted that she started feeling unwell in February but kept competing until she pulled out of the Austrian tournament.
As Raducanu prepares for a potential comeback at Madrid, which kicks off on April 21, Romania’s Sorana Cirstea has moved ahead in the rankings. At 36, Cirstea climbed three places to 26th after reaching the quarter-finals in Linz.
Interestingly, Raducanu and Cirstea met earlier this year at the Transylvania Open final in Cirstea’s home country. Cirstea won decisively, 6-0, 6-2, though Raducanu admitted she wasn’t at her best even before the match started.
“In Cluj, I picked up a virus at the start of the tournament,” Raducanu shared with the Guardian in February. “I was dealing with that and its after-effects... which lasted for three weeks. I’ve been trying to shake it off. The Middle East trip was really tough for me.”
It seems Raducanu is keen to recover fully before stepping back onto the court. Looking back, Aryna Sabalenka took the 2023 Madrid Open title with a 6-3, 7-6 win over Coco Gauff in the final.
JANNIK SINNER TAKES WORLD NO. 1; ALCARAZ CAN RECLAIM LEAD IN BARCELONA
Jannik Sinner is World No. 1! Discover how Carlos Alcaraz can reclaim the top spot at the Barcelona Open this week.
Jannik Sinner’s win over Carlos Alcaraz at the Monte-Carlo Masters wasn't just a big match; it sent Sinner straight back to the world number one ranking. Now, the Italian leads Alcaraz by 440 points after his Monte-Carlo victory.
But the clay season is packed, and with so many tournaments coming up, there’s still plenty of room for the rankings to shift before Roland Garros rolls around.
Alcaraz doesn’t have to wait long for his shot to reclaim the top spot. His next chance comes right away at the Barcelona Open, his home tournament. Last year, Alcaraz made the final in Barcelona, and now he’s set to chase down Sinner again.
Honestly, their Monte-Carlo match didn’t quite live up to the hype. Blame the wind. It was a pretty scrappy three out of ten match, if we’re being honest. Not exactly the fireworks everyone expected.
Still, Sinner and Alcaraz will be only 160 points apart at the start of the Barcelona Open, really close. If Alcaraz wins in Barcelona, he actually jumps above Sinner in the rankings, but just barely. He’d have 13,410 points, Sinner would have 13,400. It’s that tight.
Plus, if the rumours are true and Sinner skips the Madrid Open, Alcaraz could hang onto the top spot pretty easily.
Even with the recent slip in the rankings, Alcaraz shouldn’t be discouraged. He knew Sinner had been playing out of his mind lately and probably expected the rankings to flip. Sinner outplayed him in Monte-Carlo and fully deserved that win.
But there’s a lot of tennis left this spring. Alcaraz is strong on clay and has more chances, especially in Madrid, to rack up points. Neither player competed in Madrid last year, so both have a great shot to stretch their leads.
With Alcaraz picking up extra points in Barcelona, Sinner might not stay number one for long. Expect this battle at the top to keep flipping back and forth; it’s far from over.
