Alcaraz vs the Big 3, an age-by-age comparison (UPDATED)

Sport

Sport

G.O.A.T.
Alcaraz at age 21 ad 2 months had:
-4 Slams.
-20 weeks at #1.
-1 Year End #1.

Federer at age 21 and 2 months had:
-0 Slams.
-0 weeks at #1.
-0 Year End #1.

Nadal at age 21 and 2 months had:
-3 Slams.
-0 weeks at #1.
-0 Year End #1.

Djokovic at age 21 and 2 months had:
-1 Slam.
-0 weeks at #1.
-0 Year End #1.
 
Last edited:
T

Tano

Hall of Fame
Sport said:
Alcaraz at age 21 ad 2 months had:

-4 Slams.
-20 weeks at #1.
-1 Year End #1.

Federer at age 21 and 2 months had:

-0 Slams.
-0 weeks at #1.
-0 Year End #1.

Nadal at age 21 and 2 months had:
-3 Slams.
-0 weeks at #1.
-0 Year End #1.

Djokovic at age 21 and 2 months had:
-1 Slam.
-0 weeks at #1.
-0 Year End #1.
Click to expand...
Alcaraz's numbers are getting bigger and bigger.
 
xFedal

xFedal

Legend
mattennis said:
And they will get still bigger....

The kid is phenomenal, no doubt about it.

But he doesn't have to face prime big-3 caliber players.

The circuit needs a healthy Sinner to make a real rivalry.
Click to expand...
Sinner is having his best season, but GOAT carlos is unstoppable, he will not stop until Federer and Djokovics records are broken.
 
Mustard

Mustard

Bionic Poster
xFedal said:
On Clay he Nadal was off course GREAT, Carlos superior on Grass and Hard.
Click to expand...
Nadal beat Federer in the 2006 Dubai final at age 19, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, with tactics similar to Ali against Foreman in Rumble in the Jungle, i.e. rope-a-dope.

Nadal was in 3 consecutive Wimbledon finals 2006-2008, age 20-22, with peak Federer in the field.
 
BGod

BGod

G.O.A.T.
The first YE was due to Covid regulations, it was absolutely the worst YE on paper. He'll get this year legitimately so you can add that already.

Now I know this is comparing to Big 3 but that group had longevity which added to their reigns.

Wouldn't it be more conducive to compare Borg, Becker, Wilander considering their younger periods of winning? Hewitt also.
 
Rafa4LifeEver

Rafa4LifeEver

G.O.A.T.
BGod said:
The first YE was due to Covid regulations, it was absolutely the worst YE on paper. He'll get this year legitimately so you can add that already.

Now I know this is comparing to Big 3 but that group had longevity which added to their reigns.

Wouldn't it be more conducive to compare Borg, Becker, Wilander considering their younger periods of winning? Hewitt also.
Click to expand...
I still think Sinner will grab the YE#1, even if Alcaraz somehow ends up winning 3 slams (unlikely), because he's been so consistent in the BO3 hardcourt tournaments and there'll be a big bunch of them from now onwards; so he'd accumulate a ton of points.
Additionally, the post USO indoor HC swing is the worst part of the season for Alcaraz and the best one for Sinner; and there are 4500 points to grab.
 
Mustard

Mustard

Bionic Poster
Rafa4LifeEver said:
I still think Sinner will grab the YE#1, even if Alcaraz somehow ends up winning 3 slams (unlikely), because he's been so consistent in the BO3 hardcourt tournaments and there'll be a big bunch of them from now onwards; so he'd accumulate a ton of points.
Additionally, the post USO indoor HC swing is the worst part of the season for Alcaraz and the best one for Sinner; and there are 4500 points to grab.
Click to expand...
If Alcaraz wins 3 majors in 2024, he's almost certainly the year-end world number 1. The points system these days gives heavy weight to the majors.
 
M

messiahrobins

Legend
Hitman said:
Alcaraz has gone past Nadal now, this isn't even a debate IMO.

4 slams, plus on all three surfaces > 3 slams on clay
Click to expand...
Yes Rafa would concede that. I get the argument some are making that Nadal's level was higher given what he was like on clay, which is true, so arguably Nadal had a greater peak at the same age, but for me Alcaraz is more complete.
Sport always evolves, as it should and to be honest, as you and me both have said for a while, Alcaraz was always likely to move the chains.
People should be grateful that after the Big 3 era which rescued tennis after that brief period post Sampras-Agassi when there was Hewitt dominating for a bit, that we now have Alcaraz propping up tennis at goat level of play for the next 10 or so years, and perhaps Sinner as well albeit he needs to show it off hard courts really which we havent yet totally seen from him albeit he was unlucky to be ill this W.
 
Mustard

Mustard

Bionic Poster
inflation_era said:
that's only because clay court season has more tourney's than grass, else Fed would be in the same ballpark on grass.
Click to expand...
He was. Nadal and Federer had a Battle of Surfaces exhibition match on 2 May 2007, in Palma, Majorca, on a half-clay, half-grass court. Nadal won 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (12-10). At the time, Nadal had won 72 matches in a row on clay, and Federer had won 48 matches in a row on grass.
 
I

inflation_era

Professional
Mustard said:
He was. Nadal and Federer had a Battle of Surfaces exhibition match on 2 May 2007, in Palma, Majorca, on a half-clay, half-grass court. Nadal won 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (12-10). At the time, Nadal had won 72 matches in a row on grass, and Federer had won 48 matches in a row on grass.
Click to expand...

It's not really a battle of surfaces if they keep changing sides. Plus it was exhibition, therefore meaningless.
 
BGod

BGod

G.O.A.T.
Forgive Me Father said:
People forget that at the conclusion fo 2007 Wimbledon, THAT match was heralded as best ever Wimbledon match / final.
Click to expand...
No.....it was maybe Top 5 but even then.

Nobody in their right mind was picking it over Borg-Mac 80 or Ivanisevic-Rafter 01. Then you'd be looking at 77 Wimbledon (Borg-Connors), 98 Wimbledon (only Sampras 5 set final) and 2 of the Becker-Edberg Finals were fairly epic.
Rafa4LifeEver said:
I still think Sinner will grab the YE#1, even if Alcaraz somehow ends up winning 3 slams (unlikely), because he's been so consistent in the BO3 hardcourt tournaments and there'll be a big bunch of them from now onwards; so he'd accumulate a ton of points.
Additionally, the post USO indoor HC swing is the worst part of the season for Alcaraz and the best one for Sinner; and there are 4500 points to grab.
Click to expand...
Mathematically Sinner will get it by all accounts if he wins USO and WTF but even then I think Alcaraz has inside track if he goes deep. You're right it's not foregone it's just the USO has the reputation of being the wildcard winner Slam.
 
Hitman

Hitman

Bionic Poster
messiahrobins said:
Yes Rafa would concede that. I get the argument some are making that Nadal's level was higher given what he was like on clay, which is true, so arguably Nadal had a greater peak at the same age, but for me Alcaraz is more complete.
Sport always evolves, as it should and to be honest, as you and me both have said for a while, Alcaraz was always likely to move the chains.
People should be grateful that after the Big 3 era which rescued tennis after that brief period post Sampras-Agassi when there was Hewitt dominating for a bit, that we now have Alcaraz propping up tennis at goat level of play for the next 10 or so years, and perhaps Sinner as well albeit he needs to show it off hard courts really which we havent yet totally seen from him albeit he was unlucky to be ill this W.
Click to expand...

Alcaraz is the most complete player I have ever seen in all my decades of watching the sport at his age. There has never been anything like him before.

I don't think it is a debate anymore.
 
Mustard

Mustard

Bionic Poster
inflation_era said:
Nah, I remember it. It was a bit of joke. You don't think scores like that are made for the crowd? Same happened with the exhibitions they played in each of their home countries, it was just for the crowd.
Click to expand...
It was NOT a joke. Some people were even counting it on the head-to-head for a while (saying it was 8-3 Nadal), even though that's not supposed to be done with exhibition matches.
 
M

messiahrobins

Legend
Hitman said:
Alcaraz is the most complete player I have ever seen in all my decades of watching the sport at his age. There has never been anything like him before.

I don't think it is a debate anymore.
Click to expand...
Totally agree. Frightening thing is at RG and W he was actually only at his B level!! If he brings is A game to Paris and New York cannot see who stops him there either.
Thought his after match speech was lovely too. Very deferential to Novak and rightly so, as he said Novak and others showed him the way. Love that.
 
I

inflation_era

Professional
Mustard said:
It was NOT a joke. Some people were even counting it on the head-to-head for a while (saying it was 8-3 Nadal), even though that's not supposed to be done with exhibition matches.
Click to expand...

Bottom line is it was an exhibition. No one ever mentions that match when comparing Nadal and Federer. Those some people were stupid. It doesn't count.
 
Hitman

Hitman

Bionic Poster
messiahrobins said:
Totally agree. Frightening thing is at RG and W he was actually only at his B level!! If he brings is A game to Paris and New York cannot see who stops him there either.
Thought his after match speech was lovely too. Very deferential to Novak and rightly so, as he said Novak and others showed him the way. Love that.
Click to expand...

The guy is actually on course now to become the youngest winner of the golden career slam....
 
Mustard

Mustard

Bionic Poster
inflation_era said:
Bottom line is it was an exhibition. No one ever mentions that match when comparing Nadal and Federer. Those some people were stupid. It doesn't count.
Click to expand...
Hard not to for those who were there at the time. Nadal 72 wins in a row on clay, Federer 48 wins in a row on grass, and Nadal wins a Battle of Surfaces match.
 
I

inflation_era

Professional
Mustard said:
Hard not to for those who were there at the time. Nadal 72 wins in a row on clay, Federer 48 wins in a row on grass, and Nadal wins a Battle of Surfaces match.
Click to expand...

I was around and following Fedal intensely back then. That match was a joke. Fed would have similar numbers on grass if there was just more than Halle and Wimbledon from 2003-2007. Conversely Nadal had Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Rome, Spain, FO. Not a fair distribution.
 
weakera

weakera

Talk Tennis Guru
There are no big three rivals to challenge Alcaraz, there is not even a big two. If he stays healthy and gets a solid few years without a serious rival emerging, he will tear up the record books.
 
Rafa4LifeEver

Rafa4LifeEver

G.O.A.T.
BGod said:
No.....it was maybe Top 5 but even then.

Nobody in their right mind was picking it over Borg-Mac 80 or Ivanisevic-Rafter 01. Then you'd be looking at 77 Wimbledon (Borg-Connors), 98 Wimbledon (only Sampras 5 set final) and 2 of the Becker-Edberg Finals were fairly epic.

Mathematically Sinner will get it by all accounts if he wins USO and WTF but even then I think Alcaraz has inside track if he goes deep. You're right it's not foregone it's just the USO has the reputation of being the wildcard winner Slam.
Click to expand...
Yeah its not given that Alcaraz will win USO, far from it tbh.
 
J

Jonas78

Legend
His timing was perfect, with big3 on the decline and a rather mediocre NextGen/LostGen. Its all him and Sinner now.
 
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