Ex-ATP Player Warns Carlos Alcaraz to Be ‘Careful’ After Pointing Out Spaniard’s Biggest Weakness: “Never Happens to Jannik Sinner”

Carlos Alcaraz lost in his opening-round match at the Paris Masters, which Jannik Sinner won by beating Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Ex-ATP Player Warns Carlos Alcaraz to Be ‘Careful’ After Pointing Out Spaniard’s Biggest Weakness: “Never Happens to Jannik Sinner”

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

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When the tennis world started to think that Carlos Alcaraz was no longer dealing with a lapse of concentration, he suffered an opening-round exit at the Paris Masters. The Spaniard lost to Britain’s Cameron Norrie in three sets in the last Masters 1000 of the season, where he has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals.

Alcaraz has conquered the indoor hard court only once, at the Rotterdam Open this year, by defeating Alex de Minaur. Last year in the indoor hard court events, Alcaraz lost his second match in Paris and failed to advance to the semifinals at the ATP Finals.

After his Rotterdam Open win, the 22-year-old failed to reach the finals of the next three events, including the two Sunshine Double tournaments, where, for the first time since 2021, he couldn’t win a title. At that time, his work ethic was questioned, but Alcaraz gave no chance to the critics when the clay swing started.

Since the Monte Carlo Masters, the six-time Grand Slam champion featured in the finals of all the tournaments until the streak ended at the Paris Masters. Because of another early-round exit, he received warning from a former player from Italy, Adriano Panatta, who compared Alcaraz to Jannik Sinner, who just once lost an early-round match this year (in the Halle Open second round to eventual champion Alexander Bublik).

He could have a bad day and lose, but that never happens to Jannik in the first or second round. Either he loses in the final or he gets injured. So Carlos has to be careful: either he stays focused, or he’ll never beat him again.

Adriano Panatta said (H/T: Tennis World Italia)

Sinner ended the Paris Masters in his favor by beating Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets. The win helped him return to the No.1 spot, dethroning Alcaraz, who reclaimed the top spot from the four-time Grand Slam champion after winning the US Open against him.

Frederic Fontang on what makes Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz superior

The 2023 season saw complete dominance by Novak Djokovic, who missed his Calendar Slam due to his five-set defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon in the finals. But since the 2024 season, Djokovic’s form started to decline gradually, and the tennis world saw Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner start their era.

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (4)
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, Jannik Sinner HQ)

Since 2024, they have played 33 finals and clinched 25 titles, including eight Grand Slam titles. Frederic Fontang, the coach of Felix Auger-Aliassime, talked about the World No.1 and World No.2’s dominance during his interview with L’Equipe.

Alcaraz and Sinner are superior for different reasons. Alcaraz brings variety to his game; he’s very offensive, capable of doing a lot of things. Sinner brings consistency. What he does is incredibly solid, at high speed without expending too much energy. He’s a Djoko Plus. He serves better; his forehand is faster.

This season, Alcaraz and Sinner have played 10 and nine finals, winning eight and five titles, respectively. The defeats that Sinner suffered were at the hands of Alcaraz at the Italian Open, Wimbledon, Cincinnati Masters, and the US Open. Except for the Paris Masters, Sinner and Alcaraz met in the finals whenever they were in the same draw since the Italian Open.

The last title that the six-time Grand Slam champion won was the Japan Open, following which an injury forced him to skip the Shanghai Masters. Alcaraz was last seen in action at the Six Kings Slam, the exhibition event in Riyadh, where he lost the final for the second consecutive time to Sinner.

Next is the ATP Finals, where the 24-year-old will enter as the defending champion. The year-end championships will play a crucial role in determining who ends the season as the No.1 player. Last year, Sinner defeated Taylor Fritz.

Also read: Jasmine Paolini Hopes to Improve on her Game after Aryna Sabalenka’s Demolition at the WTA Finals