For the second season in a row, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have shared the Grand Slam titles – and the gap with the rest of the pack is getting even bigger. The two young champions sit thousands of points ahead of their rivals in the rankings, and even 24-time Major winner Novak Djokovic has admitted that it will now be very tough for him to outlast Alcaraz and Sinner over five sets at the Slams.

Djokovic, who turned 38 this year, has still had an admirable season, reaching the semi-finals of all four Majors and winning two smaller titles at ATP 250 level. And retired British tennis star Greg Rusedski has declared that the Serbian superstar remains the third-best player in the world, despite being ranked behind Alexander Zverev at No. 4 – and should only quit the sport when he’s no longer enjoying it.

While Rusedski wants Djokovic to keep playing as long as he enjoys it – and regardless of results – the former player-turned-pundit believes it’s up to the next generation to close the gap with Alcaraz and Sinner. And he backed four players to do just that.

“Well, they’ve separated themselves from the pack. So this off-season coming up is going to be huge for this generation to get into the pack. I mean, there are some players who have the potential to join,” the former world No. 4 exclusively told Express Sport.

“Obviously, Jack [Draper] is one who could possibly join, but he’s got to be healthy. If he’s not healthy, you lose your momentum, and you have to restart. Ben Shelton is still raw and wild, even though he’s top eight in the world. [Andrey] Rublev hired himself Marat Safin, so, you know, that’s a big hire.

“[Alex] de Minaur has impressed me out of sight at the UTS and with his year. He’s improved like nobody’s tomorrow. So these are the guys that have to step up. And the way they’re going to step up is we’re going to see where they are in Australia. Can they close the gap? However, there is a gap between those guys right now.”

Djokovic has still notched some big wins over the world No. 1 Alcaraz in recent years. He defeated the Spaniard in the Olympic gold medal match last summer and ousted him in the quarter-finals of this year’s Australian Open. But Rusedski says Wimbledon is the 38-year-old’s best shot at another huge title.

The former British No. 1, who is launching the Off Court with Greg podcast, said: “Novak, as he said himself, ‘Physically, can I beat those guys back to back three out of five [sets]?’ It’s really difficult. He needs something to occur, needs a little bit of luck. Probably Wimbledon is the best place, but he’s still, to me, the third-best player on the planet.

“If he’s happy, keep playing. Don’t ever discount a great champion. I mean, if you’re like the third-best player on the planet, even though the ranking doesn’t say so, what else in your life can you do better? So if you’re enjoying it, why not? If you’re not, then don’t.”

Draper, Rublev and co will have an opportunity to try and close the gap at January’s Australian Open. But ‘Sincaraz’ will be hungry – Sinner is the two-time defending champion in Melbourne, while Alcaraz needs to win the Aussie Open to complete the career Grand Slam. And Djokovic is still on the hunt for a record 25th Major title, and his 11th Down Under.