American legend Stan Smith identifies Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as “present and future of tennis”

The former World No. 1 also talked about the areas of improvement for the two players.

American legend Stan Smith identifies Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as “present and future of tennis”

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Stan Smith (in circle) (Images via Imago)

Spanish tennis ace Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are the new superstars of men’s tennis, as the two have embarked upon their journey of greatness. While Sinner clinched his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open, Alcaraz scripted history by winning the French Open and Wimbledon titles one after the other.

This dominance from the two has led to American tennis legend Stan Smith hailing them as the “present and future of tennis.” The 77-year-old, like everyone else, is impressed with the way Sinner and Alcaraz are playing and wants to see more of them going forward. Smith claims that the two players will enjoy a great rivalry.

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Carlos stands out for his speed, physical strength, and diversity of shots. Sinner also has strong skills, having already won a Grand Slam and holding the world No. 1 spot. They represent both the present and the future of tennis and they will establish a lasting rivalry. I'm interested in how their game has evolved over the years, knowing that they still have room to improve.
Stan Smith said talking to Italian Publication Gazzetta.

The former World No. 1 and a two-time singles Grand Slam champion, Smith also identified the room for improvement for both players.

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Jannik Sinner(L), Vijay Amritraj(M) Carlos Alcaraz(R)

Stan Smith talks about areas of improvement for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

While Stan Smith is massively impressed by the way Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are playing their tennis, the American also shared his opinion on the areas of improvement for both players. Smith believes that while Alcaraz can cut his distractions, which seem to affect him at times, the 77-year-old wants Sinner to improve his service game.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz (via Imago)

Smith pointed out that although Sinner has shown a positive change in his serves, he needs to work a little more. The former World No. 1 also feels the need for improvement in volleys for the Italian. 

In my opinion, both are very good players, however, Sinner needs to continue his work on his serve, where he has already improved a lot. He also has a good opportunity to improve in the area of volleys. As for Carlos, he is sometimes subject to moments that I would describe as distractions.
Stan Smith opined

Notably, both Sinner and Alcaraz have been dominating the tour together in the past few months. Such has been the gameplay from the two that they have outclassed Novak Djokovic, the most successful men’s tennis player in history. While Sinner beat him in the Australian Open semifinal this year, Alcaraz beat Djokovic for a second consecutive year in the Wimbledon final.

Between themselves, Sinner and Alcaraz are enjoying a great rivalry with the Spaniard in the lead currently. Out of the nine matches played, Alcaraz has won five so far.

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