Serena Williams’ former coach states the difference between Carlos Alcaraz and the Big Three

Carlos Alcaraz boasts a faster “make up speed” than tennis legends Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

That is according to Rick Macci, the former coach of WTA legend Serena Williams, who won 23 Grand Slam titles and could intriguingly be making a comeback to tennis.

Federer and Nadal have both retired, but Djokovic is still playing on the ATP Tour at the age of 38, recently reaching the Australian Open final.

He lost to Alcaraz in Melbourne, with the Spaniard becoming the youngest male to complete the career Grand Slam.

Carlos Alcaraz makes up faster than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Macci has now stated what he thinks is the difference between the current number one and Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, collectively known as the Big Three of men’s tennis.

“A subtle difference between Carlos and Fed, Rafa and the Joker (Djokovic) is the Spanish Magician is a few milliseconds faster with his turbo make up speed,” Macci wrote on X.

“Little things make the biggest difference.”

Alcaraz and Djokovic are currently playing at Indian Wells, where both have won their opening matches after receiving byes into round two.

The former beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-3 in California, where the latter defeated Kamil Majchrzak 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Big Three career stats

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic once dominated the ATP Tour, but that is a status now being enjoyed by Alcaraz.

He has two ATP titles from his two tournaments in the 2026 season, winning the Qatar Open shortly after his Australian Open glory.

The Spaniard has taken his career tally to 26 at the age of just 22, with seven Grand Slam titles among that success.

The all-time men’s list is topped by Djokovic, who was denied a record-breaking 25th title by Alcaraz earlier this year.

He is followed by Nadal on 22 and Federer on 20, but those tallies cannot be added to given that the two iconic figures have called time on their glittering careers.

Of course, Alcaraz has a very long way to go to catch his fellow ATP icons, but there’s no telling just how far he can go in his hugely exciting career.

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