"Carlos doesn’t exist without Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic" - Roddick argues the Big Three are the reason for the 'highest level of tennis' currently being seen

After the conclusion of the 2026 Australian Open, the best tennis players in the world had once again flexed their muscles for the world to see with some blistering tennis that got fans fixated to their TVs watching it. Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim argued that this is the highest level of tennis ever seen, while Andy Roddick backed that up by saying this generation is learning off the previous one.

While Melbourne Park was electric, there was not a lot of thrilling action on the court according to Wertheim. "On the ground, it’s fun. There are tons of fans. But for the first 12 days, there really wasn’t that much to write about," he stated on Served. "The matches proceeded, but there were no real classics. Venus and Stan rolled back the clock, but they didn’t make it out of week one. And then suddenly, the last 72 hours — boom — the tournament came alive."

However, the story lines at the end are too irresistible not to be drawn into. "That’s what we’ll remember: King Carlos, Novak refusing to surrender to time, Rybakina being back, the Zverev–Sinner semifinal. It ended on a strong note, totally at odds with the opening stretch. Good event overall. Onward we go."

Roddick began by discussing the brilliance of Alcaraz, putting his name among some of the greats of the sport despite him being in his early 20's. "Carlos Alcaraz is now squarely in the company of Edberg, Becker, Wilander, Lendl, Connors, McEnroe, Agassi — at 22 years old."

The former US Open champion was not just focusing on Alcaraz, but all the top players who made the numbers on bot just his show but the likes of ESPN grow. "The reason podcasts like ours exist, the reason ESPN’s numbers are up, is because the athletes are outrageous," he commented.

"The women’s final — two powerhouses beating the hell out of each other under immense pressure. The men’s semis — nine and a half hours of unscripted drama. Zverev trying to break through. Sinner taking the torch. Novak trying to hang on for one more piece of glory. This is how hard it is to win a Slam. And let’s be honest — we’re all grifting off their brilliance. No one cares what we say if they don’t deliver."

Wertheim continued this discussion with a bold take. "This is hard to quantify, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen tennis played at a higher level — men’s or women’s," he stated. "In track and field, you can look at times. Tennis doesn’t have that metric. But even watching third-round matches, or practices — the level is extraordinary."

Roddick added to the conversation with him stating that each generation learn and improve off each other to get better. "That’s a great point. Carlos doesn’t exist without Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. He’s watched them. He’s absorbed them. He’s literally incorporated Novak’s serve mechanics into his own. Each generation drafts off the last. That’s progress. That’s evolution. That shouldn’t be controversial."

Wertheim was in full praise of Djokovic, but this time not just for the tennis. "One thing that really struck me: Novak is still central to the culture of tennis," he said. "He’s congratulating wheelchair players, visiting kids at the hospital, coaching Iva Jovic, high-fiving Carlos after the semis. You don’t see that from athletes at the tail end of their careers."

While in the final he eventually failed to get over the line against Alcaraz, it was a hugely impressive showing at Melbourne Park. "He’s winning five-setters, then coming back 48 hours later and competing at the highest level. Time caught him a bit at the end, but big picture — it’s staggering."

Roddick linked 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras into this. "Compare that to Pete Sampras. When Pete left, we wanted him around — but he wasn’t part of the ecosystem anymore. When Jim Connors came back as my coach, he didn’t know where to go at the U.S. Open. He’d never been to the new stadium. Novak, Rafa, Federer — they’re still part of the fabric." Nadal was even seen at the Australian Open final, watching on as his fellow Spaniard completed the fabled career Grand Slam.

With more ex-professional still well and truly immersed in the sport, Roddick questioned if this would continue into the future. He would use a case study in the form of 22-time Grand Slam champion Steffi Graf.

"Tennis takes care of its own. And look — personalities matter. Steffi Graf is one of the greatest of all time, but she doesn’t want to be celebrated. She’s the most humble champion imaginable. She retired eight or nine years before Serena and still belongs firmly in the GOAT conversation. Just because we don’t see someone doesn’t diminish what they did. And thankfully, with Andre back around, we get to see Steffi more too."