Jannik Sinner Reigns Supreme Over Carlos Alcaraz Despite Discouraging Results off Late, Claims Federer’s Former Teammate

Everyone in the tennis community is currently abuzz with the praises for Carlos Alcaraz. The young Spaniard who recently made the King of Clay admit that “he’s going to be one of the best in history”, is currently celebrating his massive victory in Wimbledon. However, despite the enormous line of achievements, it seems like the 21-year-old has fallen short of pleasing Roger Federer‘s former coach, Ivan Ljubicic, who believes that his rival Jannik Sinner is the ultimate pick.

In a recent interview with L’Equipe, he said, “Between Wimbledon last year and Roland-Garros this year, he had only won at Indian Wells…Everyone was wondering: ‘Where is Alcaraz?’ Being unplayable may only last for a moment. Besides, in the Race, Sinner is always number 1.”

Alcaraz’s achievements this season are nothing short of remarkable. At 21 years and 1 month old, he became the youngest player to win Grand Slam singles titles on three different surfaces. Along with that, he also became the youngest player to win the Channel Slam.

Sinner, on the other hand, stands to be his biggest rival with a remarkable 2024 season. He won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and therefore became the first Italian player to do so. He also recorded his 200th win at the Rotterdam Open, surpassed Novak Djokovic to attain the world no.1 position, becoming the highest-ranked Italian player in history. His victory at the debut tournament as World No. 1 at the Halle Open made it clear that his reign had just begun.

Besides, Ljubicic’s statement, Alcaraz himself admits the challenge Sinner poses against his lead. “Every time that I’m going to face Jannik I’m going to get nervous… That’s for sure, because I know that I have to play 100 percent if I want to beat him,” Alcaraz admitted in a recent interview.

This rivalry between the two young stars not only adds an exciting dynamic to the current scenario but also keeps on adding more achievements in the ongoing quest. While one former pro extended the Italian’s name as the top pick, the other one sees a drastic area that needs work.

Boris Becker highlights the point that gives Alcaraz a slight edge over Sinner

The ongoing rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz is receiving comments from several renowned entities in the tennis world. Standing on a contradictory line to Ljubicic, Djokovic’s former coach Boris Becker has a different opinion about the two. Instead of simply announcing a pick, he recently explained the reason behind the Spaniard’s heavier potential over Sinner.

“I believe that the problem in managing the fifth set is evident. When one of his opponents takes him to the fifth, he can have this belief: the more I can extend the match, the more my chances against Jannik increase. The reasoning is completely different with Alcaraz, because never losing in the fifth has a mental reflex opposite to the case of Sinner,” he said, pointing out the difference between their potentials along with justifying the Italian’s recent defeat against Alcaraz at the Roland Garros semi-finals.

Although there could be a difference in opinions regarding both of them, it is clear that their rivalry stands a high chance of being one of the most discussed ones in the future of ATP.