Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are the current top two in the world. Thanks to their dominant style of play, they have reigned supreme over their contemporaries. However, there’s someone who may pose a serious threat to them in the near future. According to ATP veteran Andy Roddick, an emerging one-handed backhand sensation from France will soon be giving Carlos and the Fox a run for their money.

In one of his latest episodes of the “Served” podcast, Andy Roddick talked about France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at length. He couldn’t stop praising the 21-year-old player who just won his second ATP title this season. Perricard stunned Ben Shelton in Sunday’s thrilling final at the Swiss Indoors in Basel.

Although the fight was crunch and nail-biting, the Frenchman came out victorious in the end. Yes, Shelton was impressive, but Perricard’s blazing-fast, powerful serves were simply breathtaking. Andy Roddick believes Perricard’s style of serve is extremely lethal. So much so, that even the best of the players can’t handle it. “Perricard can just take the racket out of your hand like you’re almost at the mercy of his strike zone,” he said.

Roddick then made a bold prediction regarding Giovanni Perricard. He issued a warning to Alcaraz and Sinner for their future encounters with the Frenchman. “He’s gonna flip some stuff and I promise you if you’re Alcaraz or Sinner you’d rather play someone ranked a lot higher who’s going to give you a rhythm where you can control what’s going on than this Perricard guy where you’re at deuce and you don’t know if he’s going to hit a 140-second serve. You can’t control that,” Roddick added.

For those unaware, Perricard has climbed up the rankings with each successive event in 2024. Currently, he’s sitting at the 31st position and if he keeps the momentum going, it won’t take him long to reach the top 10. He might be there next year and Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will have to find a way to tackle him in case they come across the young tennis sensation.

But that must be an afterthought for both the top two. Right now, the rivalry between them is at its peak, with both of them trying to outplay one another. It becomes evident from Sinner’s recent admission regarding Alcaraz’s dominance on the court.

When Jannik Sinner made a bold confession about Carlos Alcaraz

It seems Alcaraz pushes Sinner to his limits when it comes to improving his game. In an interview, Sinner revealed that his intense battles with Alcaraz inspire him to get better. The Italian said, “I wake up in the morning trying to understand how to beat Alcaraz. I feel like—at least talking from my side—he pushes me to do better. I wake up in the morning trying to understand what I can do better trying to beat him next time, which is something nice for me as a player.” Additionally, Sinner also said that despite being rivals on the court, he and Alcaraz share a good camaraderie. “It’s nice that we are rivals on the court and then friends off the court.”

The top two are expected to lock horns once again in next month’s ATP Finals, which means fans may witness yet another display of high intensity from both players. After losing to Jannik in the Six Kings Slam final, Carlos will look for revenge. Who do you think will emerge victorious this time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.