Daniil Medvedev is better placed than most to assess Carlos Alcaraz against the Big Three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The Russian has played them all, most recently crashing out of Wimbledon in a tough semi-final against Alcaraz.
Still only 21 years old, Alcaraz has a chance to win his fourth Grand Slam title on Sunday. The youngster’s place in a blockbuster final against Djokovic was booked courtesy of a four-set win over Medvedev on Centre Court.
After the match, while acknowledging that he has not played any of the Big Three in their prime, Medvedev revealed that Alcaraz is the most difficult opponent he has ever come up against on a tennis court.
“Probably in my career he’s toughest opponent I have faced,” explained the 28-year-old. “But I have time, I have time to try to do better. I played Big Three when they were, let’s say, older. Over 30. It was a bit different.
“Roger plays on the line, hits beautiful technique shots, goes to the net. Novak plays also on the line, but completely different. Amazing defence, like a pinball player where the ball comes back faster to you.
“Rafa, completely different again. He can stay ten meters behind, but he is going to run to every ball and hit banana shots. I think where Carlos is different from many players, we all have a little bit our preferences, some prefer defence, some prefer to counter-attack, some prefer to be super aggressive. He can do all of it.”
Of the four stars considered, Federer is the only player with an unblemished record against Medvedev. The Swiss notched three wins over his Russian counterpart before retiring, with his most recent triumph coming at the Miami Open in 2019.
Medvedev has lost five times against Nadal, including in the 2022 Australian Open final, and came out on the winning side only once. His record against Djokovic is slightly healthier, with five wins and 10 defeats against the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Alcaraz has already built up a commanding head-to-head lead over Medvedev, boasting five wins and only two losses. The pair could spend many more years together on tour, with Medvedev still enjoying his peak years and Alcaraz miles away from his theoretical prime.
But for now, the Spaniard’s focus will be placed firmly on Djokovic, who beat Lorenzo Musetti to bring about a repeat of last year’s Wimbledon final, which Alcaraz won in a five-set classic.
