IIn the middle of the offseason last December, J.C. Ferrero Equelite Academy in Viena held a small ceremony to honor the academy by naming its junior court after its most famous student, Carlos Alcaraz. Among those attending the event in Spain, one person stood out. On the sidelines, a smiling Jannik Sinner recorded the moment on his phone. He was there that day to train and play an exhibition game against an opponent.
Over the past five years, it has become increasingly clear that Alcaraz and Sinner’s careers would cross paths at the top of the game, two of the brightest talents of the first generation mostly moving away from Novak Djoko The shadow of the Big Three of Vicci and Raphael. Despite this, they remained friendly, publicly supported each other’s successes and even occasionally coached each other.
The friendly rivals will face off again in one of the most important moments of their careers to date. As the highest remaining seeds and the top two favorites to win their first French Open title, Sinner and Alcaraz will meet in the French Open semifinals on Friday with everything at stake.
The fact that they even made it to the semi-finals reflects their excellence. Two weeks ago, many questions remained to be answered about their participation in the French Open. Both players were forced to withdraw from the Italian Open as Sinner struggled with his hip and Alcaraz suffered a forearm injury. The two have improved in every round since the start of the tournament and are looking good.
The matchup has been characterized by uncompromising, high-intensity aggressive tennis from both players so far, with Alcaraz already amassing a 5-4 record. In one of their most important battles, an unforgettable classic in the quarterfinals of the 2022 US Open, Sinner served and saved match point in the fourth set before Alcala Si narrowly defeated the match in five sets, and the match ended at 2:50 am. A few days later, Alcaraz won his first Grand Slam title.
Because Sinner is fully committed to his goals, he has made tremendous progress over the past few years, especially mentally. It became increasingly apparent that the Italian followed the rhythm Alcaraz usually provided in the match in terms of timing and cleanliness of his shots, and that his groundstrokes were more even and consistent than Alcaraz’s.
In his most recent game this year in Indian Wells, Alcaraz finally learned that the key to beating Sinner wasn’t trying to beat the best pitcher on tour. Alcaraz instead took a step back, using more height and topspin on his shots, relying on a different approach to his game than anyone else — his slices, lobs and comfort at the net — — when he ends a game with a great win.
In theory, clay courts are Alcaraz’s domain. He has reached the French Open semi-finals and won the Masters 1000 twice in Madrid. The surface seems to ground the Spaniard, allowing him to stand out further and score with more patience. On faster surfaces, including against Sinner, he can be too impulsive and inconsistent at times.
Newsletter Promotion Post
Still, Sinner proved he’s still the best player in the world right now. The Italian has lost just twice this season and is on a 12-match winning streak at Grand Slam events. While he may not have won a major title on clay yet, it’s clear that his game, with its thoughtful yet devastating aggression, is suited to all surfaces.
As Sinner improves this year, winning his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and maintaining good form through the first five months of the season, there will be more challenges than ever. Alcaraz is the younger, more mature, and more successful player, but if Sinner continues his momentum to get another head-to-head win and title, he may not hold the lead for long.
