Federer opened up on his former coach’s ‘Big Three’ comment, before he delivered his verdict on the Wimbledon final.
For months Carlos Alcaraz has been compared to the famed Big Three of men’s singles tennis, with the discussion talking a fresh turn right after his 2022 US Open haul which put him on the pinnacle of ATP rankings. But the Wimbledon final stood out to be the true turning point for Alcaraz. Coming back from a set down to outlast one of the greatest grasscourt players ever and take down his mighty Wimbledon record – Carlos Alcaraz’s five-setter win against Novak Djokovic was hailed as the true ‘passing the baton’ moment just like Roger Federer and Pete Sampras in 2001. And while it reignited the talk around the possible heights Alcaraz could reach thereafter with Ivan Ljubicic, Federer’s former coach even picking the “next Big Three”, the Swiss maestro opened up on the Wimbledon final as well.
No player had ever defeated Djokovic at Wimbledon since 2017. And the Serb never lost a match on Centre Court since 2010. Against such freakish records stood Alcaraz’s freshly-building resume on grasscourt. He did win his first ever title on the surface a fortnight before that, but at Wimbledon, he only had a 4-2 record before making his maiden final. And while most expected the usual result especially after how the Spaniard suffered in their French Open meeting in June, which was supported by Alcaraz going 1-6 down in the opening set, the 20-year-old shocked the Centre Court crowd.
Days after Alcaraz’s second Grand Slam win and first at the SW19, Ljubicic was quoted in an interview talking about the next Big Three in men’s singles tennis.
“Five years from now, most likely Alcaraz, Sinner, and Rune will be one, two, and three, with Medvedev probably still around, you know, making their lives tough. Maybe some guys will, you know, surprise us. But this is what it feels like at the moment,” he said.
While Rafael Nadal was among the first to have wished Alcaraz on that massive win with Djokovic full of praise for the 20-year-old, Federer was yet to speak on that match. And at a recent ‘Big 3’ event, he opened up on his former coach’s comment, requesting patience from tennis world on the next generation before he delivered his verdict on the Wimbledon final.
“We have more all-court players nowadays. Not so much the traditional slow-court player and the fast-court player that we used to have. I think it’s important for the fans to be patient. Some expect all these guys to be right away at our level. When I was 19, I was inconsistent. All of the players just needed a little bit of time. I think the game always creates new champions and the game is in good hands. The Wimbledon final was incredible, and the US Open is very close,” he said.
The US Open begins from August 31 onwards with Alcaraz slated to be in action from Monday onwards in Canadian Open as he builds towards his title-defense campaign in New York.
