Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner: Andy Roddick Refuses to Let Roger Federer Bias Influence His French Open Prophecy

Andy Roddick has made his preference clear over Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. While both are gearing up to clash against each other in the semifinals in Paris, interestingly, no one has a lead over the other as per the record. The tennis world now waits to see them battle against each other for the eighth time. Naturally, everyone is choosing their favorite before the match begins. Andy Roddick is also not an exception. Drawing an interesting parallel between Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz, Roddick gave his thoughts on Sinner’s current form on-court.

The former world No. 1, Andy Roddick discussed and provided a preview of the ongoing French Open tournament in his podcast “Served,” released on June 6. In the last segment of the show, Roddick addressed the men’s semifinal match, speaking elaborately on the current contenders’ (Sinner and Alcaraz) style and improvement on-court. He began by saying, “Alcaraz is as much fun to watch as Roger was in his prime. Like he has that variety. He can hit every shot.”

Adding to his statements, he continued, “Sinner has worked man. Like he was this Gumby body thing where you could shove him around he would get nervous sometimes you would all of a sudden bury to forehands when he hadn’t missed one in 40 minutes. Work has been why he is now number one on Earth 20th person to do so. He’s got to be like a heavy favorite.”

As pointed out by Roddick, Alcaraz’s style is indeed a remnant of former world No. 1, Federer’s style in his prime. Especially considering his attacking of the ball with boldness and fearless aggression. Not only that, Alcaraz’s fluid movement across the court, which allows him to cover ground efficiently both on clay and hard courts, further reminds tennis fans of the Swiss Maestro.

When it comes to Jannik Sinner, he is equally impressive as further pointed out by Roddick. The Italian, who will soon rise to No. 1 ranking (overthrowing Novak Djokovic) has already won his first grand Slam in Australia earlier this year. With three titles to his name in 2024, Sinner’s improvement on his first serves is noticeable. Not only that, but his powerful right-handed forehand skills and aggressive style have further made him rise to the top with grace. 

However, according to him, it is his ladder drills and track drills training that have helped him improve his speed and flexibility on-court. “And I think that’s one of the reasons why I made this extra step [of winning a Grand Slam], because physically I’ve grown,” the Miami Open champion has also previously admitted. However, even after that, Jannik Sinner confessed that he still has a lot to improve.

Jannik Sinner wants to “improve” his practice “day by day” 

After successfully surpassing the French tennis pro, Richard Gasquet, a humble winner, Jannik Sinner, revealed his thoughts about the match. “For sure better than the first match. We try to keep practicing and improve day by day.” Jannik Sinner has undergone a lot of injuries over the years. However, the 22-year-old player has previously confessed, “For sure we have a lot of work to do, still. I give my body a lot of time to develop. But for sure now I am in a much, much better position than I was one year ago. I know my body better when to practice or when maybe to do only gym.”

But it is still not over yet. The Italian player has recently revealed how he is optimistic about improving on certain areas of his play.“I know I can improve a couple of things. I’m looking forward to it. It’s a very special tournament for me so hopefully I can show some good tennis.”  Now, as Jannik Sinner continues to show his prowess on-court, it will be interesting to watch if he wins the semifinal match at Roland Garros this season!