Andre Agassi shared his thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz at the recently concluded TiE Global Summit in Bangalore, India. The eight-time Major winner believes that while the young Spaniard's game has the qualities that the famous 'Big 3' boast, he still has a long way to go in terms of living up to their legacy.
Djokovic, Nadal and Federer – known colloquially as tennis' “Big 3” – have dominated the sport for much of the past two decades, winning a combined 66 Major titles. With Nadal and Federer hanging up their rackets and Djokovic nearing the end of his career, one of the top players in the spotlight right now is Carlos Alcaraz.
In this context, Andre Agassi was asked to give his thoughts on Spanish during a speech at the TiE Global Summit in Bangalore this week. The American heaped praise on the four-time Major winner before admitting in the same breath that Djokovic, Nadal and Federer need to improve their decision-making and fitness to match their respective levels.
“Alkaras defends like Novak (Djokovic), has power and spin like (Rafael) Nadal, hands and finesse like (Roger) Federer,” Andre Agassi said during the TiE Global Summit 2024 (via Sportstar ). “But having the best of all three doesn't mean he can do what he does. Decision-making, injuries and luck… there's a lot.”
AlcarazFinishing the 2024 season in 3rd place despite two Major victories, this year has struggled with consistency. While the 21-year-old has won 54 of his 67 tour-level matches, he has had several early outings at major tournaments, including a poor run of form during the North American hardcourt.
“It will be fun, but let's not compare Carlos Alcaraz to the Big 3”: Roger Federer's former coach Paul Annacone
Paul Annacone, who guided Roger Federer to the 2012 Wimbledon title, recently said on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast that Carlos Alcaraz and his main rival Jannik Sinner, They weren't as good as the big 3 at this stage of their careers.
Annacone told the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast (27:36) “Yeah, it helps when you see two great champions like Alcaraz and Sinner come out on the stage with humility and integrity.” “It's going to be fun, but let's not compare them to the Big Three just yet.”
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominated the men's tour this year, winning two Grand Slams each. Moreover, they have met in three high-quality clashes this year (Indian Wells semi-final, Roland Garros semi-final and Beijing Open final), all of which were won by the Spaniard.
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Edited by Shirsh