Carlos Alcaraz has answered whether he considers himself ahead of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic when they were his age.
The 2024 Roland Garros champion believes it doesn’t matter how talented and accomplished he is at the age of 21 if he stagnates. The Murcian expressed his hope to match the longevity and continuous improvement of the Big Three.
Alcaraz who cut the cake of his 21st birthday in May sealed his third major title by trumping Alexander Zverev after a 5-set battle.
The Spaniard’s victory saw him expand his GS title haul as a youngest man to secure major crowns on all three surfaces.
After Alcaraz’s RG victory, John McEnroe and Boris Becker both have a consensus on their assessment that the 3-time GS champion is better than Djokovic, Nadal and Federer were at 21.
Federer, Nadal and Djokovic make up the Big Three of tennis and have won 20, 22 and 24 titles respectively in the widely accepted golden age of tennis.
Alcaraz could win his fourth major title at Wimbledon next month as he aims to defend the SW19 for the first time in his career.
The World No. 2 was recently asked how he rates himself against Nadal, Djokovic and Federer at the same age and the 21-year-old addressed the question gracefully.
“I don’t remember. I’ve seen videos, but with some highlights, I can’t compare to them when they were my age,” he told Spanish reporters.
“As I have always said, it doesn’t matter what I achieved at 21 years old if I stagnate here. In the end, I want to continue my career and continue growing to get to where Djokovic, Rafa and Federer are until recently.
“The good ones and the greats have continued to improve during their careers until they reach the age of 37-38 in their prime.”
The youngster also talked about the challenge of dealing with his French Open success, given Wimbledon and the Paris Summer Olympics are just a couple of weeks away.
“You have to enjoy these types of moments after all the work and suffering to win these types of trophies,” Alcaraz said.
“You have to combine this with enjoyment, a little. At 21 years old, I am learning what I need and don’t need, how to do it and how not to do it.
“I am realizing that I have to combine work and suffering with days of rest, freedom, doing what I like and feeling not like a tennis player but a normal person.
“That helps you isolate yourself and clear your mind to get back on track at 100 percent.”