Jasmine Paolini was asked the very tricky question of who she thinks is better out of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner and Alcaraz have won the last eight Grand Slam titles, and are by far the best players on the ATP Tour right now.
Paolini is a compatriot of Sinner, and they have both led the dominance of Italian tennis on both the WTA and ATP Tours, respectively.
However, this still gave Paolini a tricky decision to make when she was asked if she thinks Sinner is better than Alcaraz.
Jasmine Paolini answers question about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
In an interview on Fabio Fazio’s TV show, Paolini and her new coach Sara Errani were asked questions on a number of different topics.
This included being asked about the two top players on the ATP Tour, and who they think is better out of Sinner and Alcaraz.
Is Jannik Sinner currently the best player in the world?
Despite Sinner being the Italian player, neither Errani nor Paolini could pick out of him and Alcaraz, but were full of praise for both.
“I can’t choose… It’s a magnificent rivalry,” said Errani. “I love both… I can’t choose. However, I find Alcaraz’s hands to be insane… he has incredible imagination.”
Paolini then had her say, “Jannik or Alcaraz? It’s impossible to choose. I admire how hard Sinner hits the ball, it’s a feeling I really enjoy and I also enjoy it on myself when I can hit it hard. Obviously, Alcaraz also has tennis that sometimes leaves you speechless; they are both incredible.”
Has anyone in tennis history ever hit the ball as hard as Jannik Sinner does?
What Jannik Sinner said about Jasmine Paolini after she won the Italian Open
It has been another impressive year for Paolini, who has backed up her breakthrough season in 2024 and finished inside the top 10 of both the singles and doubles rankings.
However, the only singles title she has won this year came in Rome, with Paolini winning the Italian Open in both singles and doubles.
This is something that Sinner, who lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Italian Open final this year, is yet to do and he was full of praise for Paolini after she reached the final in Rome earlier this year.
“She is a girl who likes to play tennis,” Sinner said in his Italian Open press conference. “She is always happy, she likes to play, she likes to play on a centre court, when it’s full.
“She is a hard worker. She has definitely made some difficult choices in her career too. She has a great personality. I’m happy with what she is doing and I think we have to be happy, not only with her, but with the whole team [of Italian players].
“It’s normal to have pressure because if someone doesn’t feel the pressure it means they’re in the wrong place. Each of us have a bit of that. But I think she deserves everything she is doing, so we’re happy. I’m happy for her, I’m happy for Lorenzo [Musetti] and it’s nice to be part of this group.”
The unity of Italian players is clear to see, and shows why they have won both the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup for two consecutive years.
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