This season has probably marked the end of an era and the beginning of another: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have shared the four Majors while, for the first time since 2002, none of the Big 3 have won a Slam.
Australian Open and US Open won by Jannik and Roland Garros and Wimbledon won by Carlitos: something has definitely changed in men’s tennis. The only exception is Novak Djokovic’s historic gold medal conquest at the Paris Olympics, a triumph that definitively elevated Nole as GOAT.
Casper Ruud talked about this topic with Eurosport. The Norwegian believes that Sinner and Alcaraz have drawn a line between the old and the new generation this year. In 2024, none of the Big 3 have won a Slam, which hasn’t happened – as mentioned – in 22 years.
“That says a lot about how extremely dominant they have been, but now we’re in a changing of the guard. This year we have two young players who have taken all four. It’s fun to see with your own eyes that it can be done, but these are the two who have stood out the most and have a very high level, an aggressive game and good tennis,” said the Norwegian, who then indicated who is the best player of all time among the Big 3:
“Djokovic is a tough nut to crack and certainly deserves to be considered the best of all time. There’s no doubt about everything he’s achieved. I usually say that you can’t end tennis like you end a video game, when there’s nothing left to achieve, but when it comes to merit and tournament victories, Djokovic has won every title possible. It was great to see him win the Olympic gold this season.”