'Never underestimate a third guy': Daniil Medvedev compares Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry with Federer-Nadal Era

Daniil Medvedev believes that the possibility of a third player threatening the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner over the last couple of years should not be underestimated. The former world No. 1 cited the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, comparing it to the current top two, and recalled the appearance of Novak Djokovic to interrupt "Fedal's" dominance.

All eyes have been on Sinner and Alcaraz for the last couple of seasons. Since the 2024 Australian Open, they have split the last seven Grand Slams—four for Sinner and three for Alcaraz—and also faced each other in the most recent finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

While Sinner and Alcaraz occupy the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, they emerge as favorites in every tournament they play. For Medvedev, this reminds him of the dominance that Nadal and Federer had 20 years ago. Between 2004 and 2007, Nadal and Federer shared 14 Grand Slam titles, and by 2010, they had a combined 24 Grand Slam titles (9 for Nadal and 15 for Federer).

For several seasons, they were the exclusive dominators of the Tour, alternating the No. 1 and No. 2 until the emergence of Novak Djokovic. The Serb won his first major in 2008 at the Australian Open, but it wasn't until 2011 that he became a true threat to Fedal.

The Serb claimed the No. 1 spot for the first time in 2011, and from there, things would change. From 2011 onwards, Federer won another four major titles (20 total), Nadal won 13 (22 total), and Djokovic won 23 (adding his 2008 Australian Open for a total of 24).

"Never underestimate a third guy who is going to come and challenge them"

Medvedev is one of the few players who can boast a Grand Slam title while the Big 3 were still active. The Russian won the 2021 US Open by defeating "Nole" in the final, when the Serb was fighting to end the three-way tie of 20 major titles with Nadal and Federer.

After the retirement of Federer and Nadal, and while Djokovic takes his final steps on the Tour at 38 years old, the dominance has been claimed by Sinner and Alcaraz, who have a combined nine Grand Slam titles and have split the last seven majors played. At Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, they were both the finalists.

While preparing for his debut at the Cincinnati Open, Medvedev spoke about the rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz, who emerge as favorites in Cincinnati amidst preparations for the US Open, where once again the focus will be on the Italian and the Spaniard.

"Jannik and Carlos are playing amazing, they are the top two at the moment and they are playing better than everyone else, but never underestimate a third guy who is going to come and challenge them,” the former world No. 1 Russian mentioned.

"There is a lot of talk about this: ‘How is it possible that no one is close to them?’ Carlos, when he was 17, came on Tour and everyone was like ‘How can he hit so strong? I can practise 10 hours a day and not hit that strong.’ So, when he has the days that he can’t miss, and he has them a lot, there is not any chance for us. It’s the same for Jannik, he’s a really strong player."

However, Medvedev recalled how Novak Djokovic managed to sneak into the rivalry of Nadal and Federer and even surpass them over the years. "When everyone thought they were going to share all the Grand Slams, there was this one Serbian guy who came a little bit later and won more than them."

Medvedev knows what it's like to face Alcaraz and Sinner. Against Sinner, the head-to-head is dominated by the Italian 8-7 (2-1 in major tournaments, including the final of the 2024 Australian Open), while against the Spaniard, he has a head-to-head of 2-6 (2-2 in major tournaments).