Mouratoglou Rates New 2 Over Big 3, Nadal Issues Pointed, Comic Response
By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, February 6, 2026
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Debating the dominance of different generations in tennis dates back to the days of wood racquets and gut strings.
Now, coach Patrick Mouratoglou has reiterated his belief the New 2—Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner—are playing a better brand of tennis than iconic Big 3 champion Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer produced.
Mouratoglou’s latest analysis prompted a brief, but pointedly comic response from the King of Clay himself.
Coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who previously coached 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, posted on Instagram that the 38-year-old Djokovic’s dynamic semifinal victory over the 24-year-old Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals does not negate the fact the world No. 2 had beaten the Grand Slam king five times in a row before that Melbourne meeting.
“For those who think that Djokovic beating Sinner in the semifinal of the Australian Open means that the Big 3 is playing better tennis than Alcaraz and Sinner,” Mouratoglou posed on Instagram. “This is a very short view.
“First of all, you take one match and you make a rule out of it. Just remember that Sinner had won the five previous matches that they played against each other. Just one match will not make me change my mind about what I’ve seen for the last two to three years.
“Jannik moves faster, hits harder, takes the ball earlier, and serves better than Novak. But Novak is the strongest mental in tennis in the history and that’s what made the difference. That’s what made his whole career.”
Nadal, who was on hand to watch Alcaraz defeat Djokovic in the AO final and become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam, posted a “laughing so hard I’m crying” emoji response to Coach Patrick. Though Nadal (or perhaps his social media manager) subsequently deleted his reply, it was captured by some on social media. Here’s Nadal’s reply to Mouratoglou’s statements:
Patrick Mouratoglou:
— Swish 🍒 Tennis (@Zwxsh) February 5, 2026
"Thinking that Alcaraz and Sinner aren't better than the Big Three just because Novak beat Sinner at the Australian Open is a short-term view."
Rafa Nadal's reaction: "🤭🫣🤣🤣🤣" pic.twitter.com/hiE47kSyxM
Coach Patrick went on to say that “Sinner won 12 more points than Novak throughout the match, but he lost because Novak won the big ones, the ones that counted the most. Novak is not a better tennis player than Sinner, but he’s the biggest competitor in the history [of tennis] and he was better on that match.”
Mouratoglou isn’t the only analyst to rate Alcaraz and Sinner, who have combined to capture the last nine consecutive Grand Slam titles, over prior generations.
In an interview with Tennis Now shortly before Christmas, ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe also said the level of tennis delivered by Alcaraz and Sinner is the most exciting in tennis history.
“Look, I think tennis is more exciting than ever right now,” Patrick McEnroe told Tennis Now. “Of course there’s more power than there was in the past. And the average player plays with way more power certainly than when I played—and that’s part of the nature of the sport. Yet there’s still players who play with finesse, players that can slice.
“The great players are the ones who can play with finesse as well. I mean look at what Alcaraz can do with the racquet. I think more players are trying to emulate that.
“I actually think that the racquets and the technology have made the game more exciting to watch.
“You can go back and watch, if you want Richard, which I’m sure you have done, is go back and watch my brother’s match with Bjorn Borg back at the Open. Or go back and watch like Lendl against Wilander in the French Open final. I mean Lendl is literally hitting ball and walking into the center of the court every rally.
“Obviously, if they all grew up with the same racquets, they would be just as good. But you can’t tell me that the game then was more exciting than it is now—there’s just no chance of you winning that argument.”
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