Andrey Rublev: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner 'way ahead' of the competition

Rublev was one of the chasing pack as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer swept up all the biggest titles in tennis, with the end of that golden era quickly followed by the arrival of Alcaraz and Sinner at the top of the sport.

With the last eight Grand Slam titles won by either Sinner or Alcaraz, the gap between the top two and rest appears to be widening and Rublev confirms it is up to the chasing pack to find some answers.

"Carlos and Jannik are obviously way ahead of all of the rest of the players, that's it," said Rublev, who is taking part in the UTS Grand Final in London this weekend.

"For me, they are just playing tennis. They are not playing with fear or hoping for the other guy to miss. They just play tennis, do the same thing and it doesn't matter the score of the player. That's the difference with everyone else, in my opinion."

Rublev went on to suggest the comparison between Djokovic, Nadal and Federer and the new serial winners at the top of the men's game is misplaced, as he argues the trio that won 66 Grand Slam titles between them operated in a different era of the sport.

"You cannot compare," he added. "Roger and Rafa played when it was a different time and in different conditions.

"Tennis now more modern and the courts are changing, the balls are changing. They are not the same as before, so you cannot compare. It's different conditions."

Rublev's comments back up the sentiments of Casper Ruud, who claimed Alcaraz and Sinner strike the ball with more power than any players he has faced in his career.

Like Rublev, he also played Djokovic, Nadal and Federer when they were at their best, with his comments confirming the tennis we are seeing now is at another level.

"You can discuss back and forth as much as you want about different eras, but the fact for me is that Sinner and Alcaraz hit the ball with more speed than the 'Big 3' did," Ruud told Tennis365, ahead of his appearance at the UTS Grand Final in London.

"Rafa always went full out on his forehand, but he had more spin on his backhand and now we have Carlos and Jannik... no side is a weakness. It doesn't matter if it's the backhand or forehand, they will rip it. Also, they move well, physically. They just move great.

"Jannik could always rip the ball, but one area he has taken to the next level is his movement. You see him sliding, defending anywhere on the court. The same with Carlos and I feel they defend in a way that Novak did.

"You feel like you have them on the defence and in one shot, they are on the offensive again. It has been really, really impressive and at times a little bit annoying how good they have become, but you just have to accept it and we just have to do better to beat them." 

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