Casper Ruud just dropped a pretty bold statement about today’s tennis stars. The Norwegian player says Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are hitting the ball harder than the legendary Big 3 ever did.
That’s a huge claim when you’re talking about Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.
The Big 3 dominated tennis like nobody’s business from 2003 to 2023. These three legends won 66 Grand Slam titles out of 83 that were up for grabs during those two decades.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casper Ruud | 26 | 4,025 | 39 - 10 |
They also spent a combined 947 weeks at the top of the world rankings.
But times are changing fast. While Djokovic is still making life tough for opponents, Alcaraz and Sinner have pretty much taken over. The two young guns have split the last eight Grand Slam tournaments evenly between them and currently sit at the top of the world rankings.
Ruud Breaks Down the Power Game
Ruud, who once looked like he might be the next big thing after the Big 3, isn’t holding back his praise for the new generation. Speaking ahead of the UTS Grand Final in London, he put it pretty simply:
"You can discuss back and forth as much as you want about different eras, but the fact for me is that Sinner and Alcaraz hit the ball with more speed than the ‘Big 3’ did."
But it’s not just about raw power.
"Rafa always went full out on his forehand, but he had more spin on his backhand and now we have Carlos and Jannik… no side is a weakness. It doesn’t matter if it’s the backhand or forehand, they will rip it. Also, they move well, physically. They just move great."
That’s the key difference Ruud’s pointing out. Nadal might have had that devastating forehand, but he relied more on spin for his backhand. These new guys? They’re crushing the ball from both sides.
Defense Meets Offense
What really impressed Ruud is how Alcaraz and Sinner can flip the script in a single shot. They move around the court like Djokovic used to – getting to everything and turning defense into attack in a heartbeat.
"Jannik could always rip the ball, but one area he has taken to the next level is his movement. You see him sliding, defending anywhere on the court. The same with Carlos and I feel they defend in a way that Novak did."
"You feel like you have them on the defence and in one shot, they are on the offensive again. It has been really, really impressive and at times a little bit annoying how good they have become, but you just have to accept it and we just have to do better to beat them."
You can hear the frustration in Ruud’s voice there. It’s got to be pretty deflating when you think you’ve got someone on the ropes, only to find yourself scrambling to defend the next second.
The Numbers Game
Now, before anyone crowns the new generation as the greatest ever, let’s talk numbers. Alcaraz and Sinner might be hitting harder, but they’ve got a long way to go to match the Big 3’s achievements.
Alcaraz has six Grand Slam titles in his bag. Sinner has four.
Compare that to the Big 3: Djokovic leads with 24 Grand Slams, Nadal finished his career with 22, and Federer retired with 20.
The overall title count tells a similar story. Federer collected 103 titles during his career, Djokovic has 101, and Nadal ended up with 92.
Alcaraz and Sinner each have 24 titles so far.
But here’s the thing – both players are still really young. If they stay healthy and keep playing at this level, they’ve got potentially more than a decade of top tennis ahead of them. That’s plenty of time to chase down those record books.
The speed might be there, but greatness in tennis isn’t just about how hard you hit the ball. It’s about doing it consistently, year after year, on the biggest stages.
For now, though, the rest of the tour is learning what Ruud already knows – these two young stars have taken the game to a whole new level.
