Patrick Mouratoglou, former coach of Serena Williams, has offered a deep and striking analysis of why Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas failed to take the mantle from Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic as the sport’s next Big 3.
A few years ago, Tsitsipas boldly claimed that he, along with Zverev and Medvedev, would become the heirs to tennis’ greatest trio. However, the reality turned out very differently. In a recent video posted to his Instagram, Mouratoglou dissected the current state of men’s tennis and explained why this new generation never reached the same level.
A different reality for the “Next Big 3”
According to Sportskeeda, all three players suffered disappointing first-round exits at Wimbledon last week. Medvedev dropped in the ATP rankings, and Zverev failed to advance meaningfully in the singles draw. For Mouratoglou, the reasons behind this collective underperformance boil down to two major factors: lack of consistency and the emergence of new stars.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
“The first reason is consistency,” Patrick Mouratoglou explained. “Zverev is probably the most consistent of the three, but he’s never won a Grand Slam. That shows how incredibly hard it is to maintain a top level over a long period.”
He went on to emphasize just how rare and exceptional the original Big 3 were. “How often in the history of tennis have we had three players reach Grand Slam finals so regularly? That level of dominance doesn’t happen often.”
The second reason, according to Mouratoglou, is the rapid rise of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who have taken the men’s game by storm. “These two play at an unbelievable level,” he said. “They’re clearly a step above the rest, and they don’t have any real weaknesses in their game.”
Patrick Mouratoglou concluded by addressing the hopes of tennis fans around the world: “After Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, people were eager for a new Big 3. They love seeing familiar faces dominate, give interviews, and create rivalries. But right now, that kind of trio just doesn’t exist.”
Tsitsipas and Medvedev are no longer among the ATP’s top-ranked players, making it clear that the legacy of the original Big 3 remains unmatched—for now.
