Former Wimbledon Champion Names the Only Player That Can Challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on Tour

Novak Djokovic returns to the tour after almost a month at the Italian Open.

Former Wimbledon Champion Names the Only Player That Can Challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on Tour

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

Jannik Sinner has expertly taken over the mantle of dominance from Carlos Alcaraz since the latter’s injury struggles. The Italian star gave an overpowering display at the Madrid Open, which he won without a sweat. But former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli believes that Novak Djokovic can still challenge Alcaraz and Sinner on tour.

Alcaraz claimed the first two big titles of the season, and since then, Sinner has been on a rampage. He has won four consecutive ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, including the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open. At the just-concluded Madrid Open, he had no one to challenge him as he dropped just one set en route to the title.

However, Sinner showed some flaws in his game earlier in the year. He faced Djokovic at the Australian Open semi-final in Melbourne and fell to the Serbian legend in five sets after four and thirty minutes on the court. Also, he lost to Jakub Mensik in the quarter-finals of the Doha Open in Qatar.

Alcaraz, on the other hand, struggled in March. Although he reached the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Open, he failed to make it to the final as he lost to Daniil Medvedev. He then went on to suffer a third-round exit at the Madrid Open. He lost to Sinner at the Monte Carlo Masters final, ending his stay at the top of the men’s rankings.

This means both players have flaws, which, on his best day, Djokovic can exploit and beat any of them. His experience and sheer passion often makes his unpredictable opponent on the court. Speaking on Sky Sports Tennis, Bartoli explained that Djokovic is the only player who can challenge Sinner and Alcaraz following the Madrid Open final:

For me Novak is obviously the one not playing here but when he is fit and healthy he is the only one who can challenge them a bit. But for the rest the gap is becoming so enormous that you feel for the rest of the field it must be a bit discouraging. Because if you want to win a Slam or a Masters 1000 it is very rare you are not going to get Sinner or Alcaraz or even Djokovic to play, so you are going to have to run into them and beat them.

The Madrid Open final showed the realistic state of the men’s circuit. Alexander Zverev, who was Sinner’s opponent at the final, never looked like a challenger. Despite being the fourth time he was up against Sinner this season, he couldn’t win up to five games. The sheer overpowering display by Sinner made the German look clueless at the Caja Magica.

Novak Djokovic is back on tour at the Italian Open as Jannik Sinner looks to continue his form

Novak Djokovic returns to the tour at the Italian Open. The World No.4 returns to the court after almost two months away. He revealed ahead of the Madrid Open that he was dealing with a physical problem, which forced him to pull out of the tournament. The Serbian legend now stands as the only likely challenger against Madrid Champion Jannik Sinner.

Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner
Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Danny, Jannik Sinner HQ)

However, Djokovic’s performance can be unpredictable at times, especially after returning from an injury. There’s no report as to the extent of the physical problems he struggled with which begs the question of how prepared he’s to challenge Sinner, who has dropped just two sets in two months.

There’s a belief that the reason why Djokovic is eager to play at the Italian Open is to use the tournament as preparation for the French Open. Should he not play at his best, there’s a likelihood that he might play at the Geneva Open just as he did last year and won it before the Roland Garros.

Djokovic will kick off his campaign at the Italian Open against Marton Fucsovics or a qualifier. Djokovic is in the same quarter as home favorite Lorenzo Musetti and 11th seed Jiri Lehecka. 2025 Madrid Open champion Casper Ruud could meet the former World No.1 in the third round of the tournament.

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