'I don’t think we can say they’re better than Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic' – Stefanos Tsitsipas slows the Alcaraz-Sinner hype

Stefanos Tsitsipas has weighed in on the debate of whether Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are at the level of the Big 3, stating that it's still too early to put them on the same level as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. The Greek is one of the few players who has faced each of the five players mentioned.

The Greek is going through a difficult period in his career, far from the top ranks in terms of results and without a consecutive win since mid-April at the Barcelona Open. Since then, he has only managed four wins in his next ten appearances and has suffered several first-round defeats, including at the recent Wimbledon, where an injury forced him to withdraw after playing two sets against Valentin Royer (3-6, 2-6).

The former world No. 3 had hired Goran Ivanišević—former Djokovic coach—to work with him, but the partnership lasted just over a month. It ended at the start of the American hardcourt swing, and Tsitsipas chose to reunite with his father, Apostolos, as his main coach.

The Greek had a public falling out with Ivanišević, as he did not take kindly to comments the coach had made about his physical condition in the media, which led to an abrupt split. Furthermore, it was recently reported that he had ended his relationship with Paula Badosa, a rumor that seemed to be confirmed after he withdrew from the US Open mixed doubles, where Badosa will now partner with Jack Draper.

Tsitsipas returned this week in Toronto hoping to get back on track on hard courts, but he ended up losing to Australian Christopher O'Connell 4-6, 6-4, 2-6. This marks three consecutive losses for the Greek, who will have another chance to get back on court next week at the Cincinnati Open.

Tsitsipas on Alcaraz & Sinner: "The level is very high"

Tsitsipas addressed his current situation in a recent interview with Tennis365, where he was asked for his opinion on the level of Sinner and Alcaraz. Some voices have recently commented that the Italian and the Spaniard are already showing a level of tennis on par with the Big 3—or even superior—especially after their last couple of Grand Slam finals.

Sinner and Alcaraz have split the last seven Grand Slam titles since the 2024 Australian Open, and also played against each other in the recent French Open and Wimbledon finals. The Roland Garros final, in particular, seemed to give a new boost to both players' status after they put on an epic five-hour, 29-minute battle. Alcaraz eventually lifted the trophy in the fifth-set super tie-break after saving three match points a few hours earlier.

"I don’t think we can say Sinner and Alcaraz are better than Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic until they win as many tournaments, and that will take a long time,” Tsitsipas commented. “What we can say is that the level from Jannik and Carlos is very high.”

“It’s going to keep happening that we have new champions, new stars. It’s going to keep happening. It’s part of the circle of the game and how things work,” Tsitsipas added. “I’m telling you, in the next five years, we’ll see more superstars enter the game and more players that have a different identity from those that are playing now. What we can also say is Roger, Rafa and Novak raised the standards and the number of titles they won will be hard to beat.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas: Head-to-Head records

• vs. Novak Djokovic: Djokovic leads 12-2

• vs. Roger Federer: Federer leads 3-2

• vs. Rafael Nadal: Nadal leads 7-2

• vs. Carlos Alcaraz: Alcaraz leads 6 -0.

• vs. Jannik Sinner: Tsitsipas leads 6-3.