Mats Wilander expressed his concern with the injuries sustained to Jannick Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
The World numbers two and three have pushed themselves to the forefront as the best players of the younger generation following in the footsteps of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
The pair have three Grand Slams between them and currently share one of the most compelling rivalries in the game.
But they both sustained injuries during the clay court season which left Wilander worried about their long-term fitness.
Mats Wilander wants the ATP and WTA to make a rule change
Sinner and Alcaraz entered the French Open after missing the Italian Open due to injuries. The Italian withdrew before his scheduled match with Felix Auger-Aliasime due to a hip problem while Alcaraz battled an arm issue.
While commentating for Eurosport at the French Open Wilander called on the ATP and WTA to introduce a rule to help protect the physical wellbeing of the players.
“You would think one day that the ATP and the WTA would say, ‘you know what, we’re gonna play with the same tennis ball on every surface or in every tournament’, at least on the same surface,” the Swede said.
“But it’s worrying, it’s definitely worrying. Of course, we’ve gotten used to Rafael Nadal and he was maybe one of the more explosive, more physically demanding players that we’ve ever had, but Alcaraz and Sinner – physically very demanding ways of playing tennis. So it’s worrying.”
What did Mats Wilander say about the younger generation of players?
In addition to the injuries, WIlander expressed why he thinks these injuries are occuring.
He cited a change in the way the game is played in the modern day that can account for the types of injuries sustained by Sinner and Alcaraz, who have both reached the third round of Roland Garros.
“It seems like the younger generation is getting more and more injured,” Wilander added. “I think that Carlos is right, the game is faster, it’s more explosive. When you watch Jannik Sinner play and the way that he moves on a clay court, it looks pretty smooth.
“But they’re going into splits and they’re sliding on the side of their feet, then you add the heavy tennis balls for the arm, for Carlos Alcaraz.”
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