Andre Agassi expressed his views on Carlos Alcaraz at the recently concluded Global TiE Summit in Bengaluru, India. The eight-time Major winner believes that while the young Spaniard’s game has the attributes that the famous ‘Big 3’ boasted, he still has a long way to go in terms of matching their legacy.
Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, known colloquially as tennis’s Big 3, dominated the sport for most of the last two decades, winning a combined 66 Major titles. With Nadal and Federer hanging up their rackets and Djokovic also nearing the end of his career, one of the top players currently under the spotlight is Carlos Alcaraz.
In that context, Andre Agassi was asked to give his opinion on the Spaniard during his appearance at the TiE Global Summit in Bengaluru this week. The American praised the four-time Major winner, before simultaneously admitting that he needed to improve his decision-making and fitness to match the respective levels of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.
“Alcaraz defends like Novak [Djokovic]It has power and effects like [Rafael] Nadal, and he has hands and finesse like [Roger] Federer,” Andre Agassi said during the 2024 TiE Global Summit (via Sportstar). “But just because he has the best of the three doesn’t mean he can do what they did. Decision making, injuries and luck… there are so many things.”
Alcaraz, who finished the 2024 season ranked No. 3 despite two big wins, struggled with his consistency this year. While the 21-year-old won 54 of his 67 matches at tour level, he had several early exits in major tournaments, including his losing streak during the North American hard-court tour.
“It’s going to be fun, but let’s not compare Carlos Alcaraz with the Big 3”: Paul Annacone, Roger Federer’s former coach
Paul Annacone, who coached Roger Federer to his Wimbledon title in 2012, recently said on Tennis Channel’s Inside-In podcast that Carlos Alcaraz and his main rival Jannik Sinner were not as good as the Big 3 at this stage of their respective racing.
“Yes, that helps, when you see two great champions come on stage like Alcaraz and Sinner, with the humility and integrity that they have,” Annacone told Tennis Channel’s Inside-In podcast (27:36). “It’s going to be fun.” , but let’s not compare them to the Big Three just yet.”
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominated the men’s circuit this year, taking home two Grand Slam tournament victories each. In addition, they also met in three high-quality matches this year (Indian Wells semi-final, Roland Garros semi-final and Beijing Open final), all of them won by the Spaniard.
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Edited by Shirsh