Mats Wilander analysed an area of Carlos Alcaraz’s game he believes is better than Jannik Sinner.
The Swede was among the thousands inside court Philippe Chatrier who witnessed the players produce a titanic five-set battle with a spot in the French Open final on the line.
As is always the case when Sinner and Alcaraz clash, the pair pushed each other to their limit and as the match wore on, it became clear that whoever won the physical battle would emerge victorious.
The 21-year-old rose to the challenge as he saved his best tennis for the final quarter of the four-hour match which he claimed 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3 to reach the first Roland Garros final of his career.
What does Mats Wilander think Carlos Alcaraz does better than Jannik Sinner?
Alcaraz and Sinner’s rivalry is filled with breathtaking rallies and absurd shotmaking some players wouldn’t even think about producing.
The court coverage between the two players is also outstanding, but Wilander believes this aspect of the Spaniard’s game along with his physicality outweighs what the Italian is producing.
“I’m really impressed with Alcaraz because he solved the problem. I’m not exactly sure [how], they are so many things he does it would take 1000 pages to explain it I think,” Wilander said during an appearance on Eurosport.
“But that is his strength, he is much better than Jannik Sinner at defending to me. Much better at defending from far back, not from the baseline like Novak Djokovic, where Sinner is brilliant. But on a clay court that is hard to do, and on a clay court, Alcaraz is a much better defender than Sinner.”
How did Carlos Alcaraz make history by reaching the French Open final?
In Friday’s semi-final it was Sinner who took the lead after winning the first set 6-2, before Alcaraz raised his game to level proceedings.
Sinner, who was struggling with cramp, shortened the points to great effect as he regained the lead, but Alcaraz, who also suffered physically, kept fighting and once again levelled the match and sent it into a deciding set.
Sensing a chance to forge ahead, Alcaraz upped his aggression and began to play with more shape and width, which kept his opponent off balance.
He broke early in set five and held serve for the rest of the set to claim a famous win. He became the first man to reach Grand Slam finals on hard courts, grass courts and clay courts before turning 22 in the open era.
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