With the retirements of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic stands as the sole active member of the Big Three, marking the definitive end of an era that captivated the tennis world with its intense rivalry. Despite this closure, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have rapidly emerged on the scene to generate a popular new rivalry that attempts to fill that competitive void.
In an interview with the official ATP website, the Serbian was direct when asked if he could compare the massive rivalry he sustained for nearly 20 years with Federer and Nadal to the challenge he currently faces from Sinner and Alcaraz. Djokovic explained that the two eras are impossible to compare due to the difference in duration.
“Very different, because I spent most of my career with my two greatest rivals: Nadal and Federer,” Djokovic said when asked how he would compare his rivalries. “Of course Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are also my rivals at the moment, but they’re so young. I have 15 years of difference on the Tour to them, so our rivalries are a few years old, and I have 20 years of rivalry with the other guys. So it’s not really comparable”.
However, Djokovic emphasized that having a fresh, great rivalry like the one between Sinner and Alcaraz is highly positive, as it is something the sport naturally requires.
“But of course, it’s great that there is a new big rivalry in our sport between Sinner and Alcaraz. They’ve been playing some incredible matches in the past 18 months and hopefully they can keep going, because that’s what our sport needs,” he added.
Djokovic names the most underrated player he’s ever faced
In the same interview, Djokovic was asked to name the most underrated player he had faced in his career. The Serbian unhesitatingly named Stan Wawrinka, noting that people often forget about all the Swiss player has achieved.
“[Stan] Wawrinka, I think he’s very underappreciated and underrated considering he is a three-time Grand Slam champion. I think people very often forget about him and what he has achieved. He has achieved more than 90-plus per cent of the players ever in the history of the game, so I’d probably pick him,” he explained.
Wawrinka reached a career-high ranking of World No. 3 in 2014, in addition to winning the Australian Open in 2014 against Rafael Nadal, and Roland Garros in 2015 and the US Open in 2016—both times against Novak Djokovic. These are great accomplishments for a player who, despite having three Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces, many do not consider in the same conversation as the all-time greats.