"In five years, it will be Alcaraz, Sinner and Rune": Ljubicic predicts new big three featuring current heralded talents
ATPThursday, 03 August 2023 at 21:30
Ivan
Ljubicic predicted a new Big-3 with the future dominance of young stars Carlos
Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Holger Rune.
The former
world No. 3 shared his insights on the players who are likely to dominate the
ATP tour in the coming years. Ljubicic praised the rapid rise of world No. 1
Carlos Alcaraz in the rankings and also highlighted the potential of Holger
Rune and Italian talent Jannik Sinner.
"Five
years from now, most likely Alcaraz, Sinner, and Rune will be one, two, and
three, with Medvedev probably still around, making their lives tough. Maybe
some guys will surprise us, but this is how it feels at the moment."
Ljubicic
further analyzed Sinner's progress, acknowledging that while he hasn't achieved
the same level of success as Alcaraz and Rune, he has shown promise.
The world
No. 8 has secured an ATP 500 title at the 2021 DC Open and has won six ATP 250
titles. In major tournaments, he reached two finals at the Miami Open and his
best Grand Slam result was reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon.
“We can
argue, is it fast enough, if those jumps are (high enough). I think Alcaraz has
improved a lot the last 12 months. I think (Holger) Rune made a big step
forward too.”
“We being
in Italy now, we would like to see this jump higher, bigger. But (his
trajectory) is not disappointing, let’s put it this way. “
According to Ljubicic, Sinner is catching up with important matches in the major tournaments, reaching advanced rounds:
“Last year,
I was disappointed that he did not have enough important matches, which I felt
like was important because it’s clear that he’s a type of a player, that he’s
going to do five quarters and then he’s going to move to semis and then finals.
He’s not going to explode out of nowhere. He’s a thinker. He’s somebody who’s
going to make slow moves up there.
“So I was
sorry that last year he didn’t have any big matches and any semis, any finals.
Now he’s making the step that he was supposed to do last year, he’s doing it
this year, so he’s coming. There’s no question, I don’t know, is it this year,
is it next year, is it in two or three years’ time. But his determination is
there, so he’s going to keep coming up.”
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
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