{"id":1837296,"date":"2026-03-20T14:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T11:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1837296"},"modified":"2026-03-20T14:00:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T11:00:50","slug":"novak-djokovic-has-been-replaced-as-the-third-man-claims-leading-tennis-voice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1837296","title":{"rendered":"Novak Djokovic has been replaced as &#8216;the third man&#8217; claims leading tennis voice"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">Novak Djokovic has been replaced as \u2018the third man\u2019 claims leading tennis voice<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/kevin-palmer\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Kevin Palmer                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"20 Mar 2026 2:00 PM\" data-ps-date=\"20 Mar 2026 2:00 PM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1774015250\"><br \/>\n                            20 Mar 2026 2:00 PM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_dark.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img 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    <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_dark.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 dark:hidden h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_light.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <button id=\"t365-article-share-btn-hidden\" class=\"mr-2 hidden h-6 w-6 appearance-none border-none !text-share-icon outline-none hover:!text-share-icon-active sm:hidden\" data-title=\"Novak Djokovic has been replaced as \u2018the third man\u2019 claims leading tennis voice\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Djokovic-Alcaraz-Sinner-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                Novak Djokovic with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner inset                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/novak-djokovic\">Novak Djokovic<\/a> has been the only major contender to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/jannik-sinner\">Jannik Sinner<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/carlos-alcaraz\">Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> at the Grand Slam tournaments over the last couple of years, but another name has returned to the top of the pile of contenders over the last few weeks.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the verdict of coaching guru Patrick Mouratoglou, who believes the revival in fortunes from Daniel Medvedev could allow him to end the run of nine major titles won by Sinner or Alcaraz.<\/p>\n<p>Djokovic was the last player to win a title outside of the new \u2018Big 2\u2019 in men\u2019s tennis when he lifted the 2023 US Open, with the former coach of Serena Williams claiming the Russian player <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/carlos-alcaraz-shock-defeat-indian-wells-medvedev-opinion\">who beat Alcaraz<\/a> and then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/daniil-medvedev-message-jannik-sinner-after-indian-wells-open-final\">pushed Sinner all the way in the Indian Wells final last week<\/a> is now back in the mix for the big titles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Third Man. Is Daniil Medvedev officially back in the Top 3 conversation?\u201d asked Mouratoglou in an LinkedIn post.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt Indian Wells, we were all watching the same question. Not just who would win the title, but who, right now, can really challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniil gave a very strong answer. He beat Carlos in the semifinal. Then he pushed Jannik in the final in two tie-break sets.<\/p>\n<h2>More Tennis News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/joao-fonseca-top-3-material-carlos-alcaraz-jannik-sinner-claim-bard-gilbert\">\u2018Top 3 material\u2019 Joao Fonseca \u2018can jump in the mix with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/atp-rankings-race-to-turin-jannik-sinner-daniil-medvedev-overtake-novak-djokovic-carlos-alcaraz\">ATP Rankings Race To Turin: Sinner and Medvedev overtake Djokovic and close gap to Alcaraz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo yes, I think the question is legitimate again: Is Daniil back as the third man?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirst, let\u2019s say something clearly. There does not have to be a third man. Maybe there will be one, maybe there will be four, maybe the next big challengers will come from the younger generation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut if we look at the players who can challenge Sinner and Alcaraz right now, Daniil is one of the names that stands out to me. Why? Because his level is back very high.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSix months ago, we were not really having this conversation. He was far from his best level. Now, it is different. And even Carlos said after losing to him that he had never seen Daniil play like that. Daniil disagreed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I think his answer was very interesting. He basically said: I play at that level when I am very confident. That is the key. Confidence. And I think right now, he has found it again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mouratoglou went on to assess why Medvedev\u2019s unconventional brand of tennis is so challenging to players when he is at his best.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat makes him such a problem for the best players? His serve, first of all. Unbelievable,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis movement, still exceptional. The depth of his shots. This is one of the most underrated parts of his game. He plays so deep and so flat that he controls rallies in a very particular way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgainst Carlos, one statistic says a lot: he was inside the baseline 39% of the time. For Daniil, that is huge. It shows how much pressure his ball was creating. And I also saw something very interesting in the final against Jannik.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen they went backhand to backhand, Daniil\u2019s depth and pace were so strong that Jannik was getting stuck in the backhand corner. After a few exchanges, Jannik started going down the line on shots that were not always the right ones.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Want more from Tennis365? Add us as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThat tells you something important: Daniil does not just defend well against them. He has patterns that can actually hurt them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould he have won the final? Yes. He was 4-0 up in the second-set tie-break. He had opportunities. So even if he lost in straight sets, this final confirmed something for me: He is back at a level where he can seriously challenge the two best players in the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs he as good as Jannik and Carlos today? Maybe not. But I do not think he is that far. And that is already a big statement. Because when Daniil is serving like this, moving like this, and playing with this level of confidence, he becomes a real threat again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Medvedev will look to confirm he is back among the game\u2019s elite with another deep run at the Miami Open, with his return to the top 10 of the ATP Rankings suggesting he is back on an upward curve after a dip in form in 2025.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-features\/atp-miami-open-predictions-2026-jannik-sinner-carlos-alcaraz-daniil-medvedev\">ATP Miami Open Predictions: Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev continues resurgence<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Novak Djokovic has been replaced as \u2018the third man\u2019 claims leading tennis voice Kevin Palmer 20 Mar 2026 2:00 PM Novak Djokovic with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner inset Novak Djokovic has been the only major contender to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the Grand Slam tournaments over the last couple of years, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-1837296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1837296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837296\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1837296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1837296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1837296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}