'Better and tougher' - Goran Ivanisevic rates Jannik Sinner above Carlos Alcaraz, states only Novak Djokovic can challenge them

Novak Djokovic's ex-coach Goran Ivanisevic believes that Jannik Sinner is a better tennis player than Carlos Alcaraz, also describing him as 'tougher' than his Spanish rival. The two have faced off in some classics in recent months, with the last two Grand Slam finals being closely contested between them.

Sinner has come out on top in three of the last four Grand Slams, making the final of all four previous. The one he lost was in a titanic five-hour battle against the Spaniard, who saved three match points in the second set to win his second Roland Garros title.

Despite having won more Grand Slams, former Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic rates the current Wimbledon champion slightly higher than the reigning Roland Garros winner, but admits they are a long way ahead of everyone else.

“This was a one-way final, Sinner was better and in my opinion he is currently a slightly better player than Alcaraz, and the two of them are five spears ahead of everyone else,” Ivanisevic said to Croatian outlet Gol.

“Sinner is better, tougher, I don’t know what tactics I would play against Sinner, he has an answer for everything. He comes back, gathers his strength, wins the tournament."

'The only one who can maybe fight with them is Novak Djokovic'

Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated tennis for the last two years, winning the last seven previous Grand Slams and eight of the last nine. The last person to win one not being called Sinner or Alcaraz - Djokovic.

The Serbian, who has won 24 Grand Slams, last triumphed in 2023, as he defeated Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to take the US Open. Since then, his best result has been Wimbledon runner-up in 2023, losing to Alcaraz.

In this period, he has also lost to Sinner in three major semi-finals, including the previous two Grand Slams. Despite these recent results, Ivanisevic still believes that Djokovic is the only person who could fight them.

“The only one who can maybe fight with them is Novak Djokovic, but the others don’t have a chance," the Croatian said. "The question is how much longer Novak will play — he’s the only one who can make their lives difficult. But they’re young, they’ll play ten more years. And they have no competition."

Lack of competition makes it easier 

Men's tennis is looking like it is going to have another period dominated by a select few players, with the last one having occurred with the 'Big Three' - made up of Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer and Djokovic, who won a staggering combined total of 66 Grand Slams between 2003 and 2023.