Carlos Alcaraz possesses faster “catch-up speed” than tennis legends Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
That’s according to Rick Macci, the former coach of WTA legend Serena Williams, who won 23 Grand Slam titles and could, curiously, make a return to tennis.
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Both Federer and Nadal have retired, but Djokovic is still playing on the ATP Tour at the age of 38 and recently reached the final of the Australian Open.
He lost to Alcaraz in Melbourne, making the Spaniard the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz catches up faster with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Macci has now explained what he thinks is the difference between the current number one and Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, collectively known as the big three of men’s tennis.
“A subtle difference between Carlos and Fed, Rafa and the Joker (Djokovic) is that the Spanish magician is a few milliseconds faster with his turbo catch-up speed,” Macci wrote on X.
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“The little things make the biggest difference. »
Alcaraz and Djokovic are currently playing in Indian Wells, where both won their opening matches after receiving a second-round bye.
The former beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-3 in California, where the latter beat Kamil Majchrzak 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Big Three career stats
Federer, Nadal and Djokovic once dominated the ATP Tour, but it’s a status that Alcaraz now enjoys.
He owns two ATP titles from his two tournaments in the 2026 season, winning the Qatar Open shortly after his glory at the Australian Open.
The Spaniard took his career tally to 26 at just 22 years old, with seven Grand Slam titles among those successes.
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The men’s all-time list is topped by Djokovic, who was denied a record 25th title by Alcaraz earlier this year.
He is followed by Nadal with 22 and Federer with 20, but these numbers cannot be added given that both iconic figures have ended their successful careers.
Of course, Alcaraz has a very long way to go to catch up with his fellow ATP icons, but there’s no telling how far he can go in his extremely exciting career.
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