Casper Ruud Claims Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s Dominance on Tour “is a Bit Annoying”

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have dominated the men's circuit in the past two years, winning the last eight Grand Slams.

Casper Ruud Claims Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s Dominance on Tour “is a Bit Annoying”

Casper Ruud (inset), Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz (via Sky Sports)

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Casper Ruud has described the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as a bit annoying. Sinner and Alcaraz have separated themselves from other players on tour, showing a significant level of consistent performance on the court. This season, both players finished World No.1 and No.2 respectively in the ATP rankings.

For the past two seasons, Sinner and Alcaraz have shown a level of competitive spirit that other players have failed to get close to. They have evolved quickly in their game as they continue to pursue more success, while leaving other players to grapple with how to finally beat them on tour.

Sinner and Alcaraz have been dubbed to replicate the kind of rivalry Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had during their playing days. The two top stars have shared the last eight Grand Slams on tour. The last player to win a major title apart from Alcaraz and Sinner was Novak Djokovic at the 2023 US Open.

Alcaraz and Sinner have taken tennis to the next level after starting a new era following the end of the years that saw Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic rewrite the history books. Also, the duo won fourteen tour-level titles combined this season, with Alcaraz topping the chart in the men’s circuit with eight titles, including two Grand Slams.

Intriguingly, during an interview with Tennis365, Ruud revealed Alcaraz and Sinner hit the ball harder than Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. He added that the dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner has been impressive, while noting that it has also been annoying that they have been better than other players in the circuit:

Jannik could always rip the ball, but one are he has taken to the next level is his movement. You see him sliding, defending anywhere on the court. The same with Carlos and I feel they defend in a way that Novak did. You feel like you have them on the defensive and in one shot, they are on the offensive again. It has been really, really impressive and at times a little bit annoying how good they have become, but you just have to accept it and we just have to do better to beat them.

Alcaraz ended the year as World No.1 beating his arch-rival Sinner to claim the position for just the second time this season. However, Sinner won the ATP Finals in Turin after beating the Spaniard in straight sets. The win was his second victory over Alcaraz in the past two years, taking their head-to-head record to 6-10 on tour.

Casper Ruud believes other players can end Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s dominance in Grand Slams

When Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic began to age on tour, there were conversations on who was going to step into their shoes. The likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, and Taylor Fritz were mentioned as their likely successors, but none of those players have been able to win a Grand Slam.

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (5)
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

Surprisingly, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner came from behind to become the next dominant forces in the men’s circuit. During the aforementioned interview, Ruud revealed that he still believes several players will break Sinner and Alcaraz’s dominance on tour and win Grand Slams before retiring:

We all spoke about the day when Federer, Nadal and Djokovic were not there any more and we would have new champions of Grand Slams, but that has not been the case because of those two. Maybe they (Sinner and Alcaraz) had the same idea when the Big 3 were not there any more. They maybe felt this was the time for us to shine. But I still believe over the next five to ten years, you will have several Grand Slam champions and guys that can bring it to them.

Ruud is currently enjoying his pre-season training in London, where he will feature at the UTS Grand Final in the city, which begins on Saturday (December 8). He will compete with the likes of Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev, and Francisco Cerundolo at the tournament for a prize money of over $1 million.

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