Former ATP Player Believes Jannik Sinner is Currently Better than Carlos Alcaraz on Clay

Carlos Alcaraz leads Jannik Sinner 3-2 in their head-to-head record on clay.

Former ATP Player Believes Jannik Sinner is Currently Better than Carlos Alcaraz on Clay

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

In Short
  • Corrado Barazzutti believes Jannik Sinner is currently better than Carlos Alcaraz on clay.
  • Sinner recently won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Monte Carlo Masters.
  • Alcaraz is struggling with confidence and has lost three matches during Sinner's 17-match winning streak.

Former World No.7 Corrado Barazzutti believes that Jannik Sinner has an edge over Carlos Alcaraz on clay after the Italian star claimed his maiden Monte Carlo Masters title a few days ago. Sinner has won just two clay titles, while Alcaraz has claimed more than six titles on the red dirt, winning at least one every season.

Before his Monte Carlo Masters triumph, Sinner’s last clay-court title was at the Umag Open in 2022. He holds a 71 percent winning rate on clay and last season failed to win any championship on the red dirt. Sinner reached the final of two clay-court tournaments in 2025, both of which he lost to Alcaraz.

The most memorable of both clashes was the French Open in Paris, where Alcaraz came from a set down to beat Sinner after five hours and 29 minutes. However, at the Monte Carlo Masters, Alcaraz was the favorite to win the title, having won it last year. Also, he held a 23-1 record on the surface since the 2024 French Open.

But Sinner came out on top and walked away with the trophy after winning the final clash against Alcaraz 7-6(2), 6-3. The championship was his first ATP Masters 1000 on clay, and he also returned to World No.1 in the process. Nonetheless, Alcaraz holds a 3-2 lead over Sinner in their head-to-head record on clay.

Sinner won their first meeting on clay in Umag in 2022, before Alcaraz won their meetings in the 2024 and 2025 French Open finals and the 2025 Rome Masters final. During an interview on La Gazetta Dello Sport, Barazzutti revealed that a year ago, Alcaraz was better than Sinner, but currently, the Italian star has gotten better than the Spaniard:

In my opinion, the difference between the two on clay hasn’t existed for a long time. A year ago, Jannik reached the final in Rome after returning from three months and lost the Roland Garros final by a hair’s breadth, failing to convert three match points. I’ll tell you more: in my opinion, Sinner is currently stronger than Alcaraz on clay, too. Right now, there’s one player who’s very confident, Sinner, and another who’s lost confidence and is a bit confused, and I’m referring to Alcaraz.

Alcaraz and Sinner will be looking to clash on the court again this season. Sinner holds a better form currently on tour, having won 17 consecutive matches in three tournaments. Alcaraz, within that period, has lost three matches. Sinner didn’t compete in any ATP 500 tournament after the Monte Carlo Masters, while Alcaraz pulled out of the Barcelona Open after his opening match.

Former Italian player says Carlos Alcaraz can catch up with Jannik Sinner’s improvement on tour

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s rivalry has been one of the most enjoyable performances on tour after the Big 3. The duo is constantly challenging each other to get the best of their game plans on the court in any of their meetings. Sinner has won their last meetings on tour, but Alcaraz still holds a 10-7 lead in their head-to-head record.

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

Last year, Alcaraz won four of their six meetings on tour. He won all three of their three tour-level meetings in 2024. During the aforementioned interview, Corrado Barazzutti pointed out that one special thing about Sinner and Alcaraz’s rivalry is that both players have a way to catch up with each other’s improvement on the court:

In the final, Jannik played the important points better because he was mentally clearer and more aware of the tactical plan to execute. If the Spaniard doesn’t quickly reverse his trend and return to making the right choices, he’ll be forced to play catch-up in the next tournaments as well. But it’s true that great champions just need one click: Carlos can return to No 1 as early as this week in Barcelona, and if he manages to do so, he could even reset.

Alcaraz suffered a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open, which forced him to pull out of the event. He’s likely to also miss the Madrid Open, which kicks off on the 20th of May. Meanwhile, Sinner could also skip the Madrid Open after hinting about it during his post-match press conference at Monte Carlo.

Also Read: Tennis Insider Slams Martina Navratilova Over Transgender Views After Netflix Announcement