The current level of tennis is superior to that of 10 years ago

After the continued dominance of figures like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the last seven Grand Slams, many fans wonder how much of a difference there is in the level these two tennis giants show on the court compared to what the best players in history had at their peak, such as Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, or the Novak Djokovic from a few years ago. This question has already run through the collective imagination in other generations, as we always tend to compare the present with the past, especially if it is as recent as the generation that has just bid farewell to professional life. An insightful voice like that of Hubert Hurkacz, who has faced the entirety of the Big 4 and on numerous occasions both Alcaraz and Sinner, has been the latest to compare eras.

Hubert Hurkacz, talented as few, is going through a tough time in his career by not feeling 100% due to a knee injury he suffered at Wimbledon 2024. The 28-year-old Pole was a fixture in the top 10 until a few months ago, but inactivity and inconsistency have dropped him to 41st place. He is registered for the Masters 1000 in Toronto and Cincinnati, as well as the US Open 2025, but it remains to be seen how capable his physique is to be competitive. In the midst of his recovery process after withdrawing from Wimbledon 2025, he attended an Adidas event in London where he responded to Tennis365 about the current situation in tennis.

– Hurkacz speaks from experience

Not many players have faced the entirety of the Big 4 and Sinner and Alcaraz, but Hurkacz is one of them. He has the upper hand in the head-to-head against both Andy Murray (2-1) and Nadal (1-0). However, Djokovic found no rival in him (8-0), as well as Alcaraz (4-0). The stat is tighter with Sinner, although the Italian leads (3-2) and the only one he ties with is Federer (1-1). With all this, the Pole wanted to compare eras: “I feel that the level grows each year, and obviously we can say it is superior to that of 10 years ago, but that doesn’t mean the Big 4 couldn’t reach where we are now. They improved every year and raised the bar each time, so they would do the same if they were playing now.”

– Sinner and Alcaraz, his current benchmarks

“We can say that both are playing at an incredible level now, and keeping up depends on us. We have to work hard to reach those levels, that’s why I get up every morning. They set an ambitious goal, so it’s our goal too. It’s no secret that I still have the ambition to win all the Grand Slams”, emphasized Hurkacz, who has legends like Ivan Lendl and Nicolás Massu working for him.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, “El nivel del tenis actual es superior al de hace 10 años”