Carlos Alcaraz has been effusive in his praise for Jannik Sinner after his latest tournament triumph.
The Italian defeated Alex De Minaur in the final of the Rotterdam Open just yesterday, 7-5, 6-4, to win his second title in as many months.
January marked his first-ever Grand Slam title too, further emphasising the mesmeric 2024 he is enjoying.
But what did the world number two have to say about his young counterpart following this latest success? We take a closer look…
What Carlos Alcaraz said about Jannik Sinner
The Spaniard has been the hottest property in tennis ever since he burst onto the scene, as an all-action star with a thunderous forehand and an unrelenting work ethic.
Willing to fight for every point, and with a smile often as wide as the net, it is no wonder that Alcaraz has swiftly become many people’s favourite player on tour.
But, perhaps due to this meteoric and captivating rise, in which the 20-year-old has already captured two Grand Slam titles, Sinner has perhaps gone underappreciated.
Well, that seems set to change after he halved the deficit in Melbourne, earning praise from Alcaraz for his form.
The 2023 Wimbledon champion told Spanish outlet Puntodebreak.com (via Tennis365): ‘Jannik is living in a very good moment. His level of tennis shows how confident he is. He’s a super hard worker and no wonder he’s at this point right now.
‘To beat him you have to play at a stratospheric level. I’m happy for him because he’s a very good person and him being at this point helps me to improve and get the best out of me.’
Sinner and Alcaraz set to compete for many Grand Slams
With Sinner stepping up during what many are perceiving to be a lull in Alcaraz’s form, it seems the two are set to push one another relentlessly throughout their careers.
After all, the pair are already impossible to distinguish, with the Italian having won four of the seven matches they have played against one another.
However, when matched up in Grand Slams, it becomes much more even, with Alcaraz knocking the 22-year-old out of the 2022 US Open which he would go on to win, whilst Sinner won their Wimbledon match-up earlier in the year.
It is expected that they will dominate world tennis for the next decade, but with Sinner’s current form, there only seems set to be one man who will stand out above the rest.
To write off Alcaraz would be foolish though, and when he recaptures that electric level which saw him rise to his current world ranking, we are in for treat after treat over the next few years.
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