Former Grand Slam Champion Sends ‘Vulnerable’ Warning to Jannik Sinner Ahead of Australian Open

Winning the Australian Open will make Jannik Sinner the second man, after Novak Djokovic, to complete the three-peat in the Open Era.

Former Grand Slam Champion Sends ‘Vulnerable’ Warning to Jannik Sinner Ahead of Australian Open

Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

The Australian Open will commence on January 18th. For defending champion Jannik Sinner, another victory will make him the second man in the Open Era to win three consecutive titles after Novak Djokovic.

Before arriving in Melbourne, the four-time Grand Slam champion participated in the lucrative South Korea exhibition event, where he suffered a straight-set loss at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz. On January 12, multiple Grand Slam doubles winner Todd Woodbridge sat for an interview on Radio One International, during which he highlighted one area where Sinner has yet to achieve excellence.

The way the ball comes onto you, and it comes on above hip high in the shoulder height, and he’s incredibly good at leaning into the ball and being able to just generate fast pace into corners. That’s his strength. His serve has improved over the last 18 months, also. And where is he vulnerable? Well, he’s been invulnerable in the past if you could get him moving forward, if you could get him to come towards a slice backhand and not allow him to really hit and rip.

After losing to Alcaraz in the US Open final last year, Sinner vowed to improve his game to become an unpredictable player. Since that admission, the 24-year-old went on to win the China Open, Vienna Open, Paris Masters, and the ATP Finals (by defeating Alcaraz).

Now Carlos Alcaraz is one of the few players in the world who is able to do that through his slice backhand. So this is what he’s improved so much in these last 12 months with his coaching staff and Darren Cahill, who is a real technician in tactics.

Todd Woodbridge added

In the previous two Australian Open finals, Sinner went past Daniil Medvedev (2024) and Alexander Zverev (2025). Last year, he played every Grand Slam final as well as the title match of the ATP Finals, becoming the youngest man in the Open Era to do so.

Nicolas Escude on whether Jakub Mensik can challenge the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Jakub Mensik burst onto the scene when he defeated his idol, Novak Djokovic, in last year’s Miami Open final. Though there’s no doubt about his talent, one thing often discussed about youngsters on the men’s tour is whether they can challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Former player Nicolas Escude has now given his verdict on the same.

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

Mensik is part of that pool of players who could challenge them a little, but then, it’s always the same. When you look at the season the two of them had this year in the Majors, it’s just phenomenal. He needs to digest and adapt to this new status because he will inevitably be under much greater scrutiny. But when you see the level of play he was able to reach in Miami… With his playing style, I’m still interested to see if he can challenge the two giants ahead of him a little more.

Nicolas Escude told Eurosport

Mensik hasn’t yet played another final since that Masters 1000 win. In Grand Slam events, he has yet to progress beyond the third round. Last year at the Australian Open, his run ended in the third round.

Alcaraz will be chasing history at Melbourne Park as his first win will make him the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam, surpassing Rafael Nadal, who achieved this feat at 24. The Murcia native, however, has never advanced to the semifinals, losing to Alexander Zverev and Djokovic in the quarterfinals in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Also read: Ben Shelton Hopes to take His Chances against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026