Goran Ivanisevic Speaks on the Lack of Finals Between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are yet to play a final against each other in 2026.
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Goran Ivanisevic (inset), Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz (via ATP Tour)
- Goran Ivanisevic comments on the absence of finals between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026.
- He believes only Novak Djokovic can challenge Sinner and Alcaraz in Grand Slams.
- Ivanisevic is currently coaching Arthur Fils and aims for stability after previous short-term coaching stints.
Former Croatian tennis star Goran Ivanisevic has dived into the lack of finals between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz this season. The World No.1 and World No.2 are yet to share the court together in a professional match in 2026 so far.
Ivanisevic, who is currently coaching Arthur Fils on a trial basis, believes that Novak Djokovic is the only man capable of competing against Sinner and Alcaraz in Grand Slams. However, it is not a crisis if the formidable duo hasn’t played against each other so far this year. Ivanisevic said on SportsKlub:
Last year we got used to seeing them in many finals, but if we analyze the major tournaments, when they meet, one or the other wins. Essentially, the situation hasn’t changed. They’ve lost some matches—Alcaraz especially in best-of-three-set tournaments—but I don’t consider it a crisis. In Grand Slams, I still believe only Djokovic can beat them, although beating both in less than two days is extremely difficult.
The duo of Sinner and Alcaraz played in three of the four Grand Slam finals in 2025. The only exception was the Australian Open, where Sinner played Alexander Zverev in the final. That result allowed Zverev to leapfrog Alcaraz as the World No.2 for a little while last year.
The main highlight for the duo came at the Roland Garros final, where they played one of the greatest Grand Slam finals of all time. Alcaraz won in the final set tiebreaker despite being 3 championship points down in the fourth set.
Goran Ivanisevic speaks about Alexander Zverev’s claim on equal playing surfaces
Goran Ivanisevic has spoken about Alexander Zverev’s claim about the unequal court speeds. The German made this claim at Shanghai last year.
I find it absurd that rallies are longer on grass than on clay. They shouldn’t be given preferential treatment with the surfaces. He also complained in Australia about the medical timeouts for cramps, but ultimately it’s his own fault. It was impossible to lose that match; he was serving for the match, and Alcaraz didn’t have cramps for five minutes, he had them for almost two hours. When it came time to close out the match, he collapsed, and you can’t do that against Alcaraz and Sinner. I don’t think they’re given preferential treatment; they’re simply better.
The claim about the unequal court speeds was made first by Roger Federer while attending an open-air Served Podcast with Andy Roddick. The Swiss legend claimed that the players nowadays can play the same way and win Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
Zverev accused the Australian Open officials of protecting Alcaraz and Sinner when the Spaniard was getting treated for cramps during their Australian Open semifinal. The German lost in five sets in the Australian Open semifinals, being unable to get another chance in an Australian Open final.
Zverev in 2026 has actually performed better in 2026. However, he has only lost to either Alcaraz or Sinner so far this year in important events. The last defeat came against the Italian in the Miami Open semifinals.
Arthur Fils gives update on Goran Ivanisevic
French rising star Arthur Fils has opened up about the integration of Goran Ivanisevic in his camp. Fils claimed that the 2001 Wimbledon champion will join the camp in Monte Carlo. Following his exit in the Miami Open, he said:
He’ll come to Monaco, we’ll train, and Ivan (Cinkus, his other coach) will return in Rome I believe, but I don’t remember exactly. But yes, we’ll have some weeks together. I’ll spend time with both of them. I’ll have a few weeks with Goran, others with Ivan. Everything is going well.
Ivanisevic is hoping to have coaching stability with Fils. The Croatian legend has been unable to do that for the past 12 months, having short-term stints with Elena Rybakina and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Rybakina split after a month as Stefano Vukov returned to her camp. Meanwhile, Tsitsipas parted ways after Ivanisevic slaughtered him in the press, calling him the most ill-prepared tennis player he had ever seen.
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