World number one Jannik Sinner says it is premature to compare his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz to that of the Big Three after the pair set up another grand slam final clash at Wimbledon.
Sinner beat Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 inside two hours, while Alcaraz narrowly avoided a fifth set against fifth seed Taylor Fritz, winning 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(8/6).
Alcaraz and Sinner will face off on the grass of SW19 just over a month after their epic five-set decider at the French Open, which Alcaraz won in five and a half hours.
It means the pair will have split the past seven men's major singles titles between them, with Sinner trying to win his fourth slam, while Alcaraz is vying for his sixth overall and third-straight Wimbledon trophy.
Remarkably, Roland Garros last month was the first time the dominant forces in men's tennis had met in a major final, and the repeat at Wimbledon feels like a harbinger of things to come.
Still, 23-year-old Sinner said it was too early to compare his rivalry with the 22-year-old Spaniard to the stranglehold Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic had over tennis for decades.
Djokovic is the last active member of the famous triumvirate that won 66 slams between Federer's 2003 Wimbledon title and Djokovic's 24th win at the 2023 US Open.
"You cannot compare what the Big Three did for 15-plus years — six grand slams is just one and a half years. It's not that big," he said in his post-match press conference.
"We find ourselves again in this position. This is the second-consecutive slam final we are playing each other, which is great from my side.
"I believe it's good for the sport, the more rivalries we have from now on the better it is. People want to see young players going against each other.
"I'm happy to be in that position, but let's see in the future. If we can make that happen for the next three or four years, then people can think about it."
Alcaraz, who is 5-0 in major finals and handed Sinner his first loss in Paris, said he expected the Italian to be better after the heartbreaking loss where he surrendered a two-sets-to-love lead and missed three-straight match points in the fourth set..
"He's going to be better physically. He's going to be better mentally. He's going to be prepared on Sunday to give his 100 per cent," said Alcaraz, who trailed the fifth-seeded Fritz 6-4 in the fourth-set tiebreaker before winning the next four points to end it.
Asked to reflect on what happened in Paris, Alcaraz began by saying, "Probably the best," then cut himself off.
"I mean, 'probably', no. It was the best match that I have ever played so far.
"I'm not surprised he just pushed me to the limit. I expect that on Sunday — just to be in the limit, to be on the line. [It is] just going to be a great day, a great final. I'm just excited about it," Alcaraz said, speaking for anybody who might have paid any attention to that classic at Roland Garros.
"I just hope not to be five and a half hours on court again. If I have to, I will. But I think it's going to be great."
Who wouldn't expect this one to be?
"Hopefully it's going to be a good match, like the last one," Sinner said.
"I don't know if it'll get better because I don't think it's possible."
ABC/Reuters
