Jannik Sinner is enjoying the campaign of his career, and yet he seemingly just cannot get past Carlos Alcaraz.
Twice they have played this year in top-level semi-finals, and twice he has been defeated by slender margins. So, despite winning his first Grand Slam title and reaching the top of the world rankings, it seems like if he is to continue his fine run he will have to find a way to get past the Spaniard.
One leading figure in the sport fears for his chances though, despite the vast improvements he has made.
Paul Annacone delivers Jannik Sinner verdict
Speaking to the official ATP website, Paul Annacone, who currently coaches Taylor Fritz and once coached Roger Federer, offered his verdict on Sinner.
The Italian reached world number one earlier this month, and will be hoping to consolidate that position with a strong showing at Wimbledon.
However, the legendary coach does have one reservation about the 22-year-old, even if he suggests his game has improved.
He claimed: ‘To me, even though the grass game has evolved, generally, the most effective grass-court players are the ones that are really good at first-strike tennis.
‘He made a big improvement on second-serve success rate. His first-serve speeds and accuracy are up. So I think when you look at those two things, and you look at his ability to return aggressively, and also first-strike tennis, power tennis, [playing] aggressively in return games… I think that’s going to be a catalyst to drive his success on the grass.
‘Even though he’s moving much, much better, he’s a tall, lanky guy. I actually think that’s one of the disadvantages, maybe, compared to a mover like Alcaraz who is lower to the ground. He’s much more powerful, he’ll probably move a little bit more nuanced and also subtly more balanced than Jannik will on a grass court, I think.
‘So based on that, you really have to be good off of the first strike. So when you look at [Sinner’s] improvements in the serve, in particular, that’s a huge bonus. He’s a terrific returner. So that’s standard and that is the status quo, but I think serve is going to pay huge dividends for him on the grass this year.’
Jannik Sinner will be hoping to overcome Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon
Having been felled by Alcaraz in the French Open semi-finals, a few months after the Spaniard dumped him out of Indian Wells too, Sinner will be desperate to get revenge over the only player who he seemingly cannot beat in 2024.
However, on grass, despite what Annacone has suggested, the Australian Open champion will fancy his chances on that surface.
He reached the semi-final of Wimbledon last year, and does move remarkably well for a tall man.
So, despite Alcaraz’s low centre of gravity and blistering speed, it could make a fine match-up especially with Sinner’s even-improving service game.
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