"Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are unbelievable...but if Novak Djokovic shows up, I'll always put my money on him" - Goran Ivanisevic

Goran Ivanisevic has said that he would still pick Novak Djokovic to win against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner if the Serb is at his best.

Ivanisevic and Djokovic recently went separate ways, bringing an end to a seven-year collaboration that saw the Serb win 12 of his 24 Grand Slam titles. However, Ivanisevic also witnessed two of Djokovic's biggest losses in recent times; the 2023 Wimbledon Championships final against Alcaraz and the 2024 Australian Open semifinal against Sinner.

Recently, the 52-year-old was asked about his thoughts on Alcaraz and Sinner, and who he felt would pose the bigger challenge for Djokovic. Ivanisevic hailed both the young Spaniard and Italian for their abilities on the tennis court and said that despite being different, they are equally 'beautiful to watch'.

"They (Alcaraz and Sinner) are unbelievable tennis players. At the moment I have to say Sinner is the hottest tennis player in the world. He won 25 matches out of 26. He's just unbelievable. He's just playing great. Although, it's interesting, they're different kind of players. They're both very beautiful to watch," Ivanisevic said during a recent episode of The Tennis Podcast (17:15).

However, the Croat also said that if Novak Djokovic performs at his best, he would still pick the Serb to beat Alcaraz and Sinner.

"These two guys, they're going to have a lot of great matches. But if Novak shows up, I'll always put my money on Novak."

Despite backing the ATP World No. 1's chances against Alcaraz and Sinner, Ivanisevic cautiously looked back on Djokovic's significant losses against the young guns. On both of those occasions, the Serb was not as ruthless and clinical as he usually is.

"You saw in Australia this year he was not kind of there and you cannot show up like that against Sinner. Sinner was too good. But in Wimbledon final last year, one or two points, could be a different match. But in the end I have to say Carlos played amazing," Ivanisevic said.

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"Holger Rune, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner are the next Big 3" - Novak Djokovic after his 2023 Nitto ATP Finals triumph

Novak Djokovic posing with the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals trophy

Novak Djokovic faced both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals. Additionally, he played Holger Rune as well — another highly-rated youngster who is yet to taste the level of success that the Spaniard and Italian have.

After winning the title, the Serb hailed the trio as the next Big 3 and also said that he would contemplate retirement if they started to beat him regularly.

"Rune, Alcaraz, and him (Sinner) are the next Big 3 if you want to call them, and they are going to carry the sport. I will hang on for as long as I feel like hanging on", Novak Djokovic said in November in last year, via Eurosport (01:30).

"I think as long as I am able to win against them on the big stage, I'll still keep going because why stop when you're still winning the biggest titles? But once they start to kick my butt, then yeah, I will consider, probably, having a little break or a permanent break from professional tennis," He added.

The Serb's next outing will be in the second round of the ongoing Monte-Carlo Masters, where he is set to face Roman Safiullin.