Djokovic is not the strongest player outside of Alcaraz and Sinner; Djokovic and Alcaraz set a new record in the final.

Rafael Nadal's uncle, Toni Nadal, expressed that besides Alcaraz and Sinner, Djokovic is not the strongest player in tennis right now. When sharing his opinion on this matter, the 64-year-old Spaniard identified Zverev as the third-best male player currently in the sport.

For the past two years, Alcaraz and Sinner have maintained their positions as the top two players in men's singles, with hardly anyone able to challenge their supremacy. The last nine Grand Slam titles have been divided between them, and no one has truly broken their "duopoly." Although many fans still regard the aging Djokovic as the world’s third-best player, Toni Nadal has a different view. In an interview with Radio Estadio, he praised Zverev as the best player after Alcaraz and said:

“So he (Zverev) is a very dangerous opponent. In my opinion, he is clearly stronger than Djokovic right now. What he lacks is... if Zverev had won that match today (the Australian Open semifinal), he likely would have won the final too. Such a victory would change him because it would give him extra confidence and also relieve the pressure of winning a Grand Slam title.”

Both Zverev and Djokovic participated in this year’s Australian Open. Zverev lost to Alcaraz in a tough semifinal battle, while Djokovic defeated Sinner and came close to his 25th Grand Slam title, but ultimately lost to Alcaraz in the final.

Djokovic’s performance at this Australian Open was remarkable. The 38-year-old veteran proved that age is not a barrier by winning match after match. In earlier rounds, he eliminated Pedro Martinez, Miomir Kecmanovic, and Van de Zandschulp, and then, with some luck, bypassed Menchik and Musetti.

Djokovic’s victory over Sinner in the semifinal was the most significant win of the tournament; in the final, he also put up a strong fight against Alcaraz.

Reflecting on his performance in Australia, the former world number one told the media: “Being able to beat Yannick in five sets and then challenge Carlos in a tough four-set match was really great. Looking back over the past two weeks, reaching the final and being just a few sets away from the title is already an amazing achievement for me. Of course, there is some bitterness after losing, but overall, I am satisfied with the result.”

Interestingly, even though it aired late at night, the Australian Open brought a significant ratings boost for ESPN. According to data, the men’s singles final between Alcaraz and Djokovic, broadcast last Sunday, attracted 730,000 viewers. Despite the match starting at 3:30 a.m. Eastern Time, this figure was 57% higher than last year’s final between Sinner and Zverev.

This was the highest-rated Australian Open men’s final since 2017. That year, Federer defeated Nadal in a five-set thriller, drawing 1.1 million viewers in the United States.

On the women’s side, the final between Sabalenka and Rybakina also saw a slight increase in viewership, attracting 487,000 viewers, which is an 8% rise compared to 2025.

The 2026 Australian Open also set attendance records: over the three-week event, 1.37 million people visited Melbourne Park, a 12% increase from last year. The main draw’s 15 days attracted 1.15 million spectators, up from 1.1 million the previous year. The most notable change was during the qualifying week, which saw 217,999 attendees—an 87% surge compared to last year.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)