Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni doesn't "see any young people who can stand up to" Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner like the 'Big 3' did before them

Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni has likened Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's present-day men's tennis dominance to the superiority of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz and Sinner, 21 and 23 years old respectively, have shared the Grand Slam spoils this year. While the Spaniard won the French Open and Wimbledon, the Italian clinched the Australian Open and the US Open.

The 2022 US Open was Alcaraz's maiden Major title, but all the other Slams that year were shared between Nadal and Djokovic. In 2023, Alcaraz added the Wimbledon title to his rapidly-growing collection of prestigious honors. However, it was Djokovic who won the other three Majors.

These developments reflected how the next generation of men's tennis players was slowly stepping up to topple the old guard.

However, 2024 has so far mostly been a year to fondly remember for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Meanwhile, the two remaining active members of the Big 3, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, have struggled.

Nadal made an early-season comeback to the sport, but has been unable to play as regularly as he would have wanted due to niggling fitness issues. He has also confirmed that he will bid his farewell to tennis at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in November.

Djokovic himself has featured at a limited number of events, but was unable to defend any of his Major titles from last year. The Serb is also yet to win an ATP Tour-level title, even though that might change at the ongoing Shanghai Masters, where he is set to face Jannik Sinner in the final.

Recently, Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal's uncle and former longtime coach, told MARCA about Alcaraz and Sinner's dominant positions in contemporary men's tennis. The 63-year-old started off by talking about famed yesteryear trios Jimmy Connors-John McEnroe-Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras-Andre Agassi-Jim Courier, who dominated their respective generations before Federer-Nadal-Djokovic came along.

"I'm a logical guy and I rely on numbers. Before Djokovic, Federer and Rafa, other 'Big Three' like Connors, McEnroe and Borg won 26 between them. Sampras, Agassi and Courier, 26. It is very rare to find three of the greatest in history in the same era," he said.

Toni Nadal went on to claim that right now, none of the youngsters rising up the ranks will be able to catch up with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, similar to how the Big 3 established themselves as dominant forces from the mid-2000s to the early 2020s.

"It is true that there are two who stand out above the rest now, Alcaraz and Sinner, but I don't see any young people who can stand up to them, and that happened before," Toni Nadal added.

In the aftermath of Sinner's 2024 US Open title triumph, Toni had admitted that he personally prefers Alcaraz's game, but also opined that the Italian's devastating consistency will make things challenging for the Spaniard going forward.

"The rivalry is definitely on" - Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Toni Nadal (Source: Getty)

Jannik Sinner won the first and last Grand Slams of the year, the Australian Open and the US Open respectively, and Carlos Alcaraz clinched the two Majors sandwiched between the two. Following Sinner's comprehensive US Open title triumph, Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni laid bare his preference for Alcaraz but suggested that the Italian's consistency will be a menace for the Spaniard going forward.

"If I may return to Alcaraz, since he is the one we care about, I must say that I still enjoy his game more - I like him even more - but I must also admit and fear that the current leader's notable improvement, especially on a mental level, will make things really difficult for him. The rivalry is definitely on," Toni Nadal wrote in an opinion piece for El Pais.

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is currently in contention to win his seventh title of the year at the Shanghai Masters. However, to do this, he will have to get the better of 24-time Major winner Novak Djokovic.