Jannik Sinner admits what he finds ‘incredible’ about Carlos Alcaraz and explains why he struggles against him so much

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Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have continued their success into the French Open, where the duo are both into the quarter-finals.

Steve Johnson says Alcaraz is favourite to win the French Open over Sinner, with the pair having played out the Italian Open final right before the Grand Slam.

Alcaraz beat Sinner in Rome, in what was the Italian’s first tournament back after a three-month suspension.

Pat Cash thinks Jack Draper is closest to Sinner and Alcaraz in terms of providing a real challenge to the duo in the coming years.

But the Briton just fell at the French Open fourth round to Alexander Bublik, who now takes on Sinner in Paris.

Jannik Sinner explains why he struggles so much against Carlos Alcaraz

The ATP number one has now shared his verdict on Alcaraz, having been asked on Prime Video why it seems that the Spaniard is the only player who can beat him.

“I think me and Carlos, we both know a little bit also before the match, what is on the line,” responded Sinner.

READ MORE: Ben Shelton responds when asked how close he thinks he is to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner now

“For me it was still an important match the last year when I won in this exhibition match, even if it was an exhibition match.

“We try to understand each other’s level and I feel like he has more options at times. He can make slice short, he can make long.

“He is volleying incredibly with incredible hands. He is serving very well now and physically he is very strong.

“He has upped his game a lot. He has this quality of these very special players. So if I lose I always love to play against him because it gives me the feedback of where I have to work on.

“I won’t give you an answer of why he wins against me, because maybe other players might listen and I don’t want that!

“But I think we all know why. He mixes up the game, he is very fast and physical. He plays with a good intensity.

“It’s amazing for me to share the court with him, it’s very special and very nice. But again to make this happen I have to go always very far in the tournament because of our rankings.”

Jannik Sinner joins exclusive club after retaining ATP number one spot

Sinner and Alcaraz are building quite the rivalry on the ATP Tour, and have already met a huge 11 times during their relatively brief careers so far.

The Spaniard currently boasts a 7-4 record over the Italian, although the latter did win their Six Kings Slam clash in Riyadh last year, which was unaffiliated with the ATP Tour.

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz praised for showing ‘insane sportsmanship’ during his French Open match against Ben Shelton

Their head-to-head number is only going to grow rapidly in the coming years, with the duo constantly enjoying lengthy stays at various tournaments.

An intriguing battle is also likely to play out in the ATP rankings, although it is Sinner who is very much winning that race at this moment in time.

With the latest confirmed rankings, he is now into his 52nd week as world number one, helping him join an exclusive list.

Only five of the 29 number ones in the history of the rankings, since 1973, have held top spot for a full year since their debut.

Sinner is now among that elite group alongside Roger Federer, Jimmy Connors, Lleyton Hewitt and Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz meanwhile has managed to reach the summit in his career, but the 22-year-old currently occupies second place.