Jannik Sinner Downplays Comparison with Carlos Alcaraz on Clay After Securing Madrid Final Slot

Jannik Sinner to face Alexander Zverev in the final of the Madrid Open.

Jannik Sinner Downplays Comparison with Carlos Alcaraz on Clay After Securing Madrid Final Slot

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

In Short
  • Jannik Sinner downplayed comparisons with Carlos Alcaraz on clay after reaching the Madrid Open final.
  • Sinner aims to improve his game while acknowledging Alcaraz's superior clay performance.
  • He focuses on recovery ahead of the final against Alexander Zverev after a busy tournament schedule.

Jannik Sinner has admitted that he’s trying not to get carried away by the comparison with Carlos Alcaraz on clay after booking his place in the Madrid Open final. Following a straight-sets victory over Arthur Fils, the Italian star now has the opportunity to claim the back-to-back Masters 1000 title; the last person to do that was Alcaraz.

Since Alcaraz burst onto the clay-court scene a few years ago, he has been the most consistent player on the circuit over the past three years. Even 24-tome Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic has not achieved the level of consistency that Alcaraz has earned since the 2023 season.

Last season, Alcaraz won three clay titles, including the Italian Open and the French Open. This year, he reached the Monte Carlo Masters final before suffering a wrist injury in Barcelona, forcing him to withdraw from all clay-court tournaments. Sinner, who defeated the Spaniard in Monte Carlo, now has the chance to win the Madrid Open.

He earned his place in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament on Friday (May 1) after beating Fils 6-2, 6-4. He becomes the fourth man in the Open Era – and the youngest – to reach all nine ATP Masters 1000 finals, joining the ranks of Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal on tour.

Sinner ended Fils’ nine-match unbeaten run, a run which saw the Frenchman win the Barcelona Open before arriving at the Spanish capital. Speaking at his post-match press conference, Sinner downplayed the comparison between him and his arch-rival Alcaraz on clay, stressing that the Spaniard is far better than him on the surface:

It’s definitely a part of my game I’m trying to improve. I try to use it at the right time. Here it’s a bit more difficult because the ball flies more, but at the moment I’m very happy with how I’m using it. Also from the backhand side, I try to mix it up well in important moments, and it has been quite efficient. It’s a part of my game I’m trying to improve, of course. But I’m definitely not at the level of Carlos, that’s for sure. I’m still trying. It’s good for my game to mix things up.

Alcaraz holds a winning rate of 82 percent on clay court, twenty more than Sinner. However, Sinner’s winning rate will get better should he win the Madrid Open and either the Italian Open or French Open (or even win both). The Italian star is the favorite to win the remaining big clay titles following Alcaraz’s withdrawal due to injury.

Jannik Sinner focused on recovery after securing his Madrid Open final place

Jannik Sinner’s main aim is to be fresh ahead of the Madrid Open final against Alexander Zverev. The Italian star has not had more than a week’s rest since March. He has featured in four tournaments in just two months. There are expectations that, should he continue to play without a good rest, fatigue might wear him down at the French Open.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/4K JANNIK SINNER)

He’s not injured, so he will play his home tournament in Rome next week. After the Rome Masters, he has just a week’s rest before the Roland Garros. During the aforementioned press conference, Sinner admitted that recovery after every match is now paramount, especially in the later stages of tournaments:

I’m trying to recover as much as possible, especially with sleep. Last night was very good, I slept a lot and felt quite fresh this morning. I’ve played a lot in the last one and a half months. Going very deep in tournaments is a good sign. Of course, at the same time you get a bit more tired, but when you play big matches, semi-finals, quarter-finals, finals, there is also adrenaline that helps.

Sinner will face Alexander Zverev for the third time this season at the Madrid Open final. Zverev has failed to win a big title this season as he continues to lose either to Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz on tour. He has the opportunity of proving he’s a challenger by beating Sinner at the final on Sunday (May 3), but that is hard to foresee.

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