Though Jannik Sinner has not had the start to the season he would have hoped for, he and his rival, Carlos Alcaraz, remain the two best players on the planet.
Alcaraz and Sinner, placed first and second in the world respectively, both have ATP points tallies north of 10,000, and are well ahead of the rest of the pack in the rankings.
The Spaniard has enjoyed a much better first two months of the year, having emerged victorious at both the Australian Open and the Qatar Open.
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However, since his shocking upset defeat in Doha to Jakub Mensik, Sinner has bounced back with two dominant victories in Indian Wells and looks to be back to his very best.
Not many can say they have beaten the ‘new two’ over the past year, but Grigor Dimitrov came agonisingly close at Wimbledon in 2025.
Jamie Delgado explains how Grigor Dimitrov almost beat Jannik Sinner
Dimitrov was two sets up against eventual champion Sinner in the fourth round at the All England Club last season, but was forced to retire in the third due to a pectoral injury.
His coach at the time, Jamie Delgado, recently explained what the Bulgarian’s approach was that day, which most players on the tour don’t attempt when facing Alcaraz and Sinner.
In an episode of ‘Off Court with Greg‘, Delgado said: “I’m a believer that you play your game. At the end of the day, you play your game, but you also have to understand the opponents, maybe they are slightly better than you at something and you don’t play them at their game.
“I think there are so many players now. For example, with Jannik, he’s a beast from the baseline. He moves so well. He’s crushing the ball off both sides. It wouldn’t make sense for many players to try to beat him at that game.
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“To stay on the baseline and just try and out-hit him from there, but a lot of players do, whether that’s them being a bit stubborn with their own game or trying things, or they don’t maybe quite have the skill set to be able to play in a way that Grigor played him at Wimbledon.
“So yeah, part of the mindset for that match was, one, to play your game, but also to try and disrupt a little bit and try and stop Jannik from being comfortable and playing all the points in the same way, which of course he would like to do.
“That’s not just for Jannik. If you’re going to play Rafa or Murray or Djokovic or Federer, they want to play the match on their terms, how they feel good and how they’re controlling the points.
“So, as a lesser player, someone that’s ranked below, and you’re an underdog, why not try and disrupt a little bit more rather than just playing their game?
“The chances of playing their game and winning are pretty small. So try and, yes, play your game, but also try and disrupt. And I don’t think enough players do that sometimes.”
While Alcaraz has gone undefeated so far this season, Sinner has lost to both Mensik and Novak Djokovic.
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