Marcos Baghdatis faced Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic when they were at their peak, and he has weighed in on how Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner measure up to the legendary trio.
Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, who are known as the ‘Big Three’, are widely considered to be the three greatest players in the history of men’s tennis.
From Federer’s maiden Grand Slam triumph at Wimbledon in 2003 to Djokovic’s most recent win at the 2023 US Open, the trio won 66 of the 81 majors held in an astonishing 20-year period of shared dominance. Djokovic has won a men’s record 24 majors, while Nadal and Federer claimed 22 and 20.
Alcaraz and Sinner, who have won six and four Grand Slams respectively, have each secured four of the last eight majors since the start of 2024.
The duo dominated the 2025 season as they faced off in six big finals, including the last three Grand Slam finals and the ATP Finals title match.
What did Marcos Baghdatis say about Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner’s level?
In an exclusive interview, Tennis365 asked Baghdatis how he compares Alcaraz and Sinner’s current level to that of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in their prime.
“It’s very tough to compare. Honestly, it’s very tough to compare,” said the former world No 8 and Australian Open finalist.
“One reason is because I never competed against them (Alcaraz and Sinner). And the other reason is if I compete against them right now, they’ll kick my a** because I’m unfit (laughs). But yeah, it’s very tough.
“What I can say, I see the whole of tennis right now and I think… my opinion is that before; the Roger, the Rafa, the Novak, the Andy [Murray]’s – they had so many people pushing them behind them.
“When I say so many, you had the [Stan] Wawrinka’s, you had the [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga’s, you had the [David] Ferrer’s. So that’s where I think they stand out a bit – because their competition was much better.
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“So yeah, that’s what I think. Maybe I’m wrong, but what’s what I see. But to compare… the only way you could compare Alcaraz and Sinner to those three, four players was to put them there.
“And you can see it, like, you would never see, like, a 38-year-old beat Roger at 23 years old… because Gael Monfils beat Alcaraz, it was, I think, last year in Cincinnati.
“And I don’t know, when you see Novak still competing at [his age] against them, and beating [Alcaraz] in an Olympic final… I mean, that says a lot.
“I don’t think an Andre Agassi could have beaten Roger when he was 34, 35, 36 or 38. It would have been very, very difficult.”
What is Marcos Baghdatis’ record against the Big Three?
Baghdatis played 24 matches against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic combined between 2004 and 2017.
- 1-7 vs Roger Federer
- 1-9 vs Rafael Nadal
- 0-8 vs Novak Djokovic
The Cypriot defeated Federer at the 2010 Indian Wells Masters and Nadal at the 2010 Cincinnati Masters.
Baghdatis was beaten by Federer in the 2006 Australian Open final and Nadal in a 2007 Wimbledon semi-final — which were his two standout Grand Slam runs.
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The post Marcos Baghdatis reveals why Djokovic, Nadal & Federer ‘stand out’ compared to Alcaraz & Sinner appeared first on Tennis365.
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