Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz could face one another in what would be a blockbuster French Open final.
The Italian and Spaniard have played each other 11 times in their careers, but they have yet to face one another in a championship match at a Grand Slam.
That could change this year as Sinner and Alcaraz are seeded one and two at the upcoming French Open and therefore cannot play until the final.
This would arguably be the most anticipated match of the season so far, and former World number two Alex Corretja assesses what could happen in that potential contest.
Alex Corretja says what would happen if Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz played in the French Open final
Carlos Alcaraz will aim to successfully defend his French Open title while Jannik Sinner is searching for his first.
The 22-year-old defeated the World number one in the semi-finals on the Parisian clay a year ago, following five pulsating sets. A year later and the pair have achieved plenty on tour, but Alcaraz has beaten Sinner in four successive matches.
If their 12th head-to-head meeting were to take place in the French Open final on June 8, TNT Sports pundit Corretja predicts what he thinks could happen.
“I think he’s got a bit of an edge at the moment before the tournament starts,” former World number two said. “But as the tournament goes on, I think Jannik will raise his level.
“And if they will play the final – which is in a few more weeks, and it’s still a long way to go, and we need to be very respectful for the other players, too – I think they would get into the final with similar chances.
“Considering that it’s clay, Carlos, at this moment, he has shown that he has something extra, but I won’t take away Jannik because I think he’s going to be very much ready for the battle.”
Alex Corretja explains how Jannik Sinner makes Carlos Alcaraz raise his level
Alcaraz plays a very explosive game that can fluctuate at times. At his best he can be incredibly destructive, as was the case in the second set of the Italian Open final against Sinner.
On the other hand, he can become erratic and suffer surprise defeats, such as his loss to David Goffin in his opening match at the Miami Open illustrates.
When he faces Sinner, Alcaraz almost always manages to find his best level of tennis, and Corretja has a theory that explains why.
“We know how Carlos works. He needs challenges and he needs to be pushed, and I think when he sees that Jannik is so disciplined and his work ethic is so high and the way he’s moving, the way he’s hitting the ball, he needs to find his variation,” the Spaniard said of Alcaraz.
“But not only variation, he needs to be solid. He needs to be there all the time for a couple of hours, or longer, against him.
“So I think that shows that for Carlitos, if you make him think, it’s important for him because he will keep on improving. If not, he feels like with the way he plays, he might beat most of the guys on tour.
“But against Jannik, he needs to reach an extra gear, and he needs to be more consistent through the whole match. He can’t have so many ups and downs, otherwise he might suffer.”
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