Move over Big Three? Stefanos Tsitsipas predicts Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will define a new era of tennis

Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas believes that Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz’s achievements on the court will outshine what the traditional ‘Big Three’ have done in the past. Both Sinner and Alcaraz are already regarded as two of the best players in the world in men’s tennis in the singles category.

Sinner and Alcaraz have shared the last seven Grand Slams. Both faced off in the final of two major events this year as well. At the French Open, Alcaraz managed to achieve an incredible triumph as he saved three championship points and lifted the title after beating Sinner in a five-set thrilling final with a score of 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6. The match lasted more than five hours and officially became the second-longest final in the history of Grand Slams in the Open era.

A few months later at Wimbledon, Sinner managed to take his revenge as he defeated Alcaraz in the final with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Both players are now taking part in the ongoing US Open, where they have secured their spots in the second round. Greece’s Tsitsipas is also featuring in the competition, and he too cemented his spot in the round of 64 after beating France’s Alexandre Muller with a score of 4-6, 6-0, 6-1, 7-6.

While talking to the press after the match, Tsitsipas was asked about Sinner and Alcaraz and how their achievements are compared to the traditional ‘Big Three’ consisting of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. In response to that, Tsitsipas stated that, in his point of view, Sinner and Alcaraz’s achievements on the court are even more amazing considering the pressure that comes with social media, which is far more now than it was 20 years back. Tsitsipas also called both ‘great ambassadors’ for the sport and admitted that both players are ‘really pushing the throttle’.

“They [Sinner and Alcaraz] are great ambassadors for our game,” said Tsitsipas. “I'm loving both of them, the way they play, their personalities, their exceptional commitment to the game. It's exactly what tennis needs. And to have them in this era is very important and crucial for the game, especially after Roger and Rafa have left. I feel like they're going to be doing great things in the next couple of years. And I feel like I can only learn from them being someone who is included with them on the tour. And they're really pushing the throttle. They're really taking it a step further. I feel like physically, mentally, they've got the whole package and they've been proving it over and over in the last couple of Grand Slams. They've been dominating pretty successfully. It seems like in the last couple of years, they've been the two major competitors and then two major favorites in most of the Grand Slams. So just to put a picture on that, today's era is very different. We have social media. We have all tons of distractions and stuff. And it's very difficult to stay present. And these kids are doing an exceptional job staying present and being able to show that slam after slam. So I would say it's even more difficult for them than it used to be 20 years ago.”

Big win

The result on Tuesday was an important one for Tsitsipas himself. The 27-year-old is going through a difficult season on the court where he has won just 20 out of 36 matches across different competitions. At the Grand Slams, Tsitsipas has struggled throughout the year. In the first three Grand Slams, he only managed to win one out of four matches and suffered three defeats. Talking about the significance of his win on Tuesday, Tsitsipas stated that it was very important and that it helps him put in a ‘better place’.

“Well, I need to win,” said Tsitsipas. “I feel like confidence comes from winning sets. Of course, wins do help a lot. The biggest thing is winning sets. If you can see yourself finding ways to win sets, finding certain patterns that you build on court that help you win sets, your confidence grows. I even said it, if it doesn't work your way and you still don't make it and you're out in five sets, it's still not a bad sort of feedback because you're almost there. But when it's the other way, you know, it kind of hits you harder, I would say. At the end of the day, it's a fight and it's a battle and you want to see yourself max out as much as you can during any encounter against any player. To not be able to do that, you know, puts you in a very bad mood and you want to see yourself compete against the best and be as close to them as possible. The confidence definitely grows. I feel like with it comes belief and belief is part of confidence and perspective, perspective of your game, perspective of your physical capacity and how mentally you can endure and face certain challenges and moments during a match. When those kind of click, when those come together, it feels very good.”

The victory was also important for Tsitsipas as it marked the beginning of a new chapter with his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas. Both reunited recently after Stefanos decided to part ways with his former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, who had lambasted him during an interview for his lack of preparation at Wimbledon. Stefanos was asked about his expectations from the relationship with his father, Apostolos, in the new chapter. In response to that, Stefanos gave a precise answer, pointing out that Apostolos brings a lot of ‘wisdom’ in his play.

“Wisdom. That's what it brings me,” said Stefanos. “And I feel like something that I need in my life and in my career. So he brings a lot of wisdom into my game. I don't know how to define it exactly. That's up to you to decide. But I'll just leave it to that.” Tsitsipas' next-round opponent will be Germany’s Daniel Altmaier. The 26-year-old cemented his spot in the round of 64 after beating Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic in a five-set thriller with a score of 7-5, 6-7, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4.