Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz Rejected by the Great Coach: “Not in My Top 15”

Men’s tennis is currently in the era of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The two champions have won 10 of the last 11 Grand Slam tournaments, with the sole exception being the 2026 French Open—a tournament marked by the Spaniard’s injury and the Italian’s illness during his second-round match against Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo. This dominance has fueled one of the most fascinating rivalries on the tour.

Despite these extraordinary results, however, Brad Gilbert urges caution when comparing them to the giants of tennis history. The former world No. 4, who has coached champions such as Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Andy Murray during his career, believes that neither Sinner nor Alcaraz can be ranked, at least for now, among the top 15 players of all time. “At the moment, neither of them is in my all-time top 15. In first place is obviously Novak Djokovic, followed by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Right behind them I’d put Pete Sampras, then Björn Borg and Rod Laver,” Gilbert explained during an interview with Tennis Channel.

The American then rounded out his list by placing Andre Agassi at number seven, John McEnroe at number eight, Jimmy Connors at number nine, and Ivan Lendl at number ten. Ranking from eleventh to fifteenth are Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Ken Rosewall, and John Newcombe.

Gilbert is convinced, however, that the future could radically change this landscape. “Once Sinner and Alcaraz have won between 8 and 10 Grand Slams and demonstrated consistency at the highest level for many years, then they’ll be able to climb this ranking. Today, however, I can only evaluate what they’ve accomplished so far. It’s impossible to know what will happen in the coming years, and we must also consider the possibility—however remote—that they won’t win any more Grand Slams,” concluded the American coach.