Dominic Thiem has claimed that facing Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz is just as tough as contending with legends Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in their prime. The Austrian, whose career ended prematurely in 2024 due to injuries, confessed that stepping down from the sport wasn’t part of his initial game plan – although he surprisingly “doesn’t miss tennis much” now.
The ex-US Open champion praised the current crop of tennis talent, drawing parallels between the fresh-faced stars and the game’s icons.
Thiem admits that winning in 2025 seems more daunting than when he lifted the US Open trophy in 2020, and even states that talents like Sinner and Alcaraz present challenges on par with legends like Djokovic and Federer.
The 31-year-old said: “Today it’s even harder than five years ago. To do it today, you have to beat Sinner or Alcaraz, if not both. Both are as difficult to beat as Djokovic and Federer were in their day.”
The remarkable legacies of Djokovic, Federer, and Rafael Nadal – known as the Big Three – will live long in the memory of any tennis fan.
Their collective wins include a staggering 66 Grand Slam titles, marking an era where they dominated from the early 2000s right up until a few years back.
Since then, Nadal and Federer have retired from professional tennis, with Federer hanging up his racket in 2022 and the Spaniard following suit in 2024. Meanwhile, Djokovic is still competing at a high level in tennis, having recently won his first Olympic medal at the 2024 Paris Games.
In contrast, Sinner and Alcaraz appeared on the professional tennis scene in the late 2010s and have become significant threats on the ATP Tour and in major tournaments.
Since his 2018 debut, Italian star Sinner has claimed the US and Australian Open titles, and back-to-back Davis Cup wins in 2023 and 2024.
Alcaraz has triumphed at the French Open, US Open, and Wimbledon, leaving him one Australian Open victory shy of achieving a complete set of Grand Slam singles titles. The 21-year-old also reached the Olympic final last year, only to be defeated by seasoned veteran Djokovic.
Thiem commended both tennis stars for their exceptional court skills but noted that they aren’t currently the only strong opponents in the sport.
He added: “Now we have Sinner and Alcaraz. If they’re not injured or out for some other reason, you usually have to beat one or both of them, and that’s incredibly difficult.
“There are also some other really good players, like Taylor Fritz, when he plays at a really high level, like at the US Open. Winning a Grand Slam hasn’t become any easier compared to five or ten years ago.”
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