Rafael Nadal: Let Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz create 'their own story'

Rafael Nadal has urged the tennis world to pump the breaks on anointing World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz as the sport's next great rivalry.

There's been a lot of talk surrounding Alcaraz and Sinner taking the reins from the famed Big Three of Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who won 66 of the 84 majors between 2003 and 2023. 

That 21-year streak ended in 2024 courtesy of Sinner and Alcaraz, who split the four majors among them to usher in a new era.

Nadal cautioned about comparing eras, especially with Sinner and Alcaraz in the early stages of their careers.

"We need to wait," Nadal told DAZN of the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry. "But of course, this year [they] already [won] two grand slams for each of them. Number 1 and number 2 in the world. They’re creating their own story. This is not the moment to compare eras, you know? Novak is still there...We need to let them create their own rivalries and their own story. They don't need the comparisons with us. Let's see at the end of their careers, then will be the moment to compare what they did and what we did."

While Nadal's sentiments are perfectly reasonable, it can't be denied that the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry has injected new life into the sport after the Big Three dominated proceedings for 20 consecutive years. 

The monotony of the Big Three's dominance got many to pin their hopes on Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, Dominic Thiem and others in recent years to breathe new life into the sport. However, the three legends, specifically Nadal and Djokovic, didn't show signs of slowing down even into their mid-30s, denying the sport's youngest stars a chance to announce their emergence.  

With Sinner and Alcaraz, the tide has finally turned, and the sport of tennis is better for it.