Novak Djokovic reveals the ‘next big three’ that will force him out of tennis
Novak Djokovic says Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune will “carry” tennis soon, and when they do he will take his cue to quit tennis.
Sinner, Alcaraz and Rune make up three of the top five players in the year-end ATP rankings, with Djokovic and Medvedev the other two.
Djokovic played all three in Turin, defeating all three, including Sinner in the final, although he lost to the Italian in the Round Robin stage.
She has had a good look at all three this year and has already lost one Grand Slam final – Wimbledon – to Alcaraz.
Understandably, he’s impressed. So impressed, in fact, that he believes they will become the next “big three” in men’s tennis, replacing himself, Rafael Nadal, and the now-retired Roger Federer.
And, when they do and he can no longer compete with them, then he’ll know it’s time to go.
“Carlos, Yannick and Holger are the big three,” he said in Turin. “The next big three, if you want to call them.
“They will be involved in this sport. I’ll hold on as long as I feel like it.
“I just need to be able to beat them on the big stage. I will continue because why stop if you are still winning the biggest titles.
“Once they start kicking my ass, then I’ll probably think about taking a short break or maybe a permanent break from professional tennis.”
What Djokovic said about the ‘next big three’
Novak Djokovic’s comments come as no surprise given how generous he has been with praise for Alcaraz, Rune and Sinner in the past.
Here is a reminder of what he has said about each.
Novak Djokovic to Carlos Alcaraz
Djokovic lost to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final and after that match fielded questions from the press about how good the Spaniard was.
The answer was clear – he’s not like himself, Federer the Nadal – is a combination of all three.
“I think people have been talking for the last 12 months or so about his game being made up of certain elements from Roger, Rafa and myself. I’ll agree with that. I think he basically has the best of all three worlds,” Djokovic said.
“He’s got that mental toughness and real maturity for someone who’s 20 years old. It’s quite impressive. He has that Spanish bull mentality of competitiveness and combativeness and incredible defense that we’ve seen with Rafa over the years.
“And I think he has some nice sliding backhands that have some similarities to my backhands. Yes, two-handed backhand, defense, adaptability. I think this has been my personal strength for many years. He has it too.
“I’ve never played a player like him, to be honest. Roger and Rafa have their strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is a very complete player. Amazing adaptability which I believe is the key to longevity and a successful career on all surfaces.”
Novak Djokovic at Holger Rune
Rooney has already earned Djokovic’s respect, with the Dane beating him in a Masters final last season in Paris.
They met again in the Paris Masters final this year, and even though it was Djokovic who came out on top, he still paid Rune a huge compliment, essentially saying that his game reminded him of his own.
“We have similar games,” he said. “Move well, defend well and all the players.”
Novak Djokovic to Yannick Sinner
Sinner beat Djokovic himself in the round robin stage and then could have knocked the Serb out of the tournament if he lost to Rune in the final group match.
While he was probably tempted, the Italian stayed true to his sporting beliefs and fought to beat Rooney and keep Djokovic in the tournament.
That may come back to bite him in the final, when Djokovic upset the odds, but he has earned more than the world number one’s admiration.
“He’s got to keep going because he’s definitely on the right track,” Djokovic said of Sinner.
“I’m not the only one who says he can win a slam and be No. 1 in the world. I’d be very surprised if that doesn’t happen.
“I don’t know if it’s next year or the year after that. He is 22. He has a lot of time ahead of him.”
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