The German legend Boris Becker, in an interview with Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, analyzed the changing of the guard from the dominant era of the Big 3 to the new era, led by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Becker said as - comparing Roger Federer to Carlitos and Novak Djokovic to Jannik, tennis needs to find the new Rafael Nadal.
"From a purely stylistic point of view, even though he is Spanish and his idol was Nadal, we can compare Carlos Alcaraz to Roger Federer. And Jannik Sinner to Novak Djokovic. But now, on Tour we face another dilemma: we need a new Rafael Nadal to complete the new Big 3!
I have seen a lot of Jannik's matches lately, he is really in shape. Since the US Open he is clearly playing his best tennis. He is similar to Nole. When Nole was a little younger, up to a couple of years ago, he could dominate the rallies from the baseline thanks to his fundamentals, footwork and speed.
Jannik never drops below average, he always plays at a very high level. He gives great speed to his shots and pushes opponents away from the baseline. Alcaraz's style of play, in terms of beauty, is more similar to that of the Swiss," he explained.
Becker believes that the Spanish tennis player can play at a higher level than Sinner when he is at his best, while he also highlighted the Italian's greater consistency.
"Carlos is able to play at a speed perhaps even higher than Sinner, but not with the same consistency. We can define Sinner and Alcaraz as the Djokovic and Federer of the future even if we have to make the necessary proportions. Roger and Nole have made the history of this sport, as well as Rafa. The one closest to reaching the top for me is Ben Shelton. The most ready, at first, seemed to be Holger Rune, but this year he hasn't made much progress," he explained.
