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The Grand Slam battle between newly crowned world No 1 Jannik Sinner and his big rival Carlos Alcaraz has dominated the men’s game for the last two years and now a player who has taken on both has predicted who will end up with the most Grand Slam titles.

Alcaraz is already climbing up the list of all-time greats in the major title stakes, as his win at the Australian Open in January was his seventh in a Grand Slam at the tender age of 22.

By contrast, Sinner has won two Australian Open titles, a US Open crown and he also added his first Wimbledon title by beating Alcaraz in last year’s final.

Now, former world No 18 Benoit Paire has given Tennis365 his verdict on who will end up with the most major titles in the battle between Sinner and Alcaraz.

While Paire suggested the duel between the pair will be tight for years to come, he was quick to predict it will be the Italian with more major titles on his record in the final analysis.

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“I would say Sinner will win the most majors,” Paire told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview as he promoted the Roland-Garros eSeries.

“I think he is very solid on hard courts and little more focused win the game. He wants to win everything, so that’s the difference between him and Alcaraz. Maybe I’m wrong, I don’t know, but that’s what I think.

“In the future, it will be a big battle between those two. I am also hoping that there will be more players coming through like Joao Fonseca, but for the moment, I think it is between those two.”

Paire also reflected on the first time he came across Alcaraz, as he revealed his former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, encouraged him to watch his young gun in action.

“I played against Juan Carlos in my career and he said to me, you have to look at this guy because he is very good,” added Paire. 

“Then, after just one year, he was already challenging at the top and we can also see how good he was.

“He has matured so quickly and achieved so much already. He is just 22 and he has won at the Slams. It’s something different.

“I think Ferrero helped him to be like this and I believe he can try and chase the records of Novak Djokovic. I believe this is possible, but the only question mark I have would be mentally.

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“We can see that he likes to enjoy like also and sometimes he can struggle mentally. So we don’t know what Alcaraz will be like in 10 years time.

“For me, I can’t understand how you can be so professional all the time. To be in a tunnel. You win a Slam and the next day, someone like Novak is thinking about the next one. I can’t believe this.

“If I win a Slam, you would not see me for a year as I would be celebrating!”

Paire is cut from a very different cloth to Sinner, with the relentless winning mindset that exudes from the world No 1 giving him a chance to challenge some of the game’s all-time great as he looks to find his position in the pecking order of the men’s game.

READ NEXT: How Carlos Alcaraz’s Barcelona Open withdrawal affects No 1 ranking battle with Jannik Sinner

The post Jannik Sinner backed to ‘win more Grand Slams’ than Carlos Alcaraz by former top 20 player appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner has been warned that he has only won the phoney war with his great rival Carlos Alcaraz, with the titles that really matter still a little distance over the horizon.

Alcaraz appeared to have moved clear of Sinner in the battle between the two dominant players in men’s tennis when he clinched his first Australian Open and became the youngest male to complete a career Grand Slam of all four major titles.

Sinner has snapped back in impressive fashion as he completed the ‘Sunshine Double’ by winning the Indian Wells and Miami Open titles, with his victory over Alcaraz in last weekend’s Monte Carlo Masters final securing his return to the top of the rankings.

The balance of power at the top of men’s tennis appears to have tilted in Sinner’s favour for now, but former British No 1 Greg Rusedski has suggested the French Open at Roland Garros in June and the Wimbledon title are the two tournaments that matter over the next few weeks.

Speaking on the latest edition of his Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast, the 1997 US Open finalists suggested Grand Slams are more significant than rankings for the ‘Big 2’ in men’s tennis.

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“Sinner can probably take over as No 1 and Alacarz is like ‘yeah, no big deal’,” said Rusedski.

“For these guys right now, No 1 is important. They love to be the top dog, but for me, it’s all about winning majors.

“If Sinner goes on and he wins Madrid, he wins in Rome, but he loses in Roland Garros final, and Alcaraz wins Australia and wins in Paris, you know they would trade their Masters titles for the two majors.

“That’s where they want to peak, but also it’s a combination of confidence coming through.”

Rusedski went on to suggest Alcaraz is more vulnerable than Sinner, as he argued the rock solid Italian has a methodical approach that is tough to break down when he is at his best.

“I think it’s much more difficult to get through Sinner because of his return to serve,” he added.

“With Alcaraz, if you hit your spots, you can get on the front foot and you can knock him around the court a little bit because he’s not as tall

“As we saw with Valentin Vacherot on a few points in the semi-finals in Monte Carlo, when you have a big server, he’s not always comfortable.

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“If you look at Jannik, no matter what server he’s playing, whether it’s a big server, he always looks like he’s there and he’s in every return game. Also, his own serve numbers have been phenomenal.”

Alcaraz and Sinner may be exchanging the world No 1 ranking over the next few weeks, with Sinner favourite to be top of the list heading into the French Open and Alcaraz then having a chance to reclaim top spot at Wimbledon, where Sinner will be defending 2,000 ranking points from his win last year.

READ NEXT: How Carlos Alcaraz’s Barcelona Open withdrawal affects No 1 ranking battle with Jannik Sinner

The post Jannik Sinner warned he has only won the first phase of his battle with Carlos Alcaraz appeared first on Tennis365.

Toni Nadal has described Carlos Alcaraz’s Monte Carlo Masters loss to Jannik Sinner as a “bad result” and assessed that it may “raise some doubts” for the Spaniard.

Alcaraz was beaten 7-6(5), 6-3 by Sinner in the championship match at the Masters 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo last week.

The result denied Alcaraz a second consecutive Monte Carlo title and ended his 17-match winning streak on clay dating back to last year’s Barcelona Open final.

It also saw Alcaraz lose the world No 1 ranking to Sinner, ending his 22-week stint in top spot, which had started in November.

Speaking on Radioestadio Noche on Spanish radio channel Onda Cero after the Monte Carlo final, Nadal argued Sinner is currently “controlling his emotions better” than Alcaraz.

“It was a bad result for Alcaraz because Monte Carlo is the closest thing to Roland Garros,” said the 65-year-old.

“I think Alcaraz played at a pace that favoured Sinner… the gap between them is very small.

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“I think Sinner is controlling his emotions better. This result may raise some doubts for Alcaraz.

“Those conversations Alcaraz has with his bench are more due to nerves and frustration.

“Sinner was more consistent than Alcaraz.”

Following his run in Monte Carlo, Alcaraz competed at the Barcelona Open this week, but he was forced to withdraw after suffering a wrist injury in his first round win.

After Alcaraz’s shock third round loss to Sebastian Korda in Miami last month, Nadal revealed he thought Alcaraz may skip some tournaments as he thought the 22-year-old looked tired.

“I’ve seen him looking a bit tired. In some rallies, he seemed to be running on fumes and with less energy than usual, and I thought, ‘Maybe he’s going to stop playing in some tournaments’,” Nadal said.

“But he’s also fighting for the No 1 spot. I don’t know; Samu Lopez and he will decide.”

Toni Nadal coached his legendary nephew, Rafael Nadal, from the age of three until 2017 and helped him win 16 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.

READ NEXT: Former world No 1 gives honest opinion on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s relationship

The post ‘Jannik Sinner is controlling his emotions better than Carlos Alcaraz’, claims Rafael Nadal’s ex-coach appeared first on Tennis365.

Injuries have become a dominant feature on both the women’s and men’s tennis tours in recent years and two factors are often cited as the primary reason.

World No 2 Carlos Alcaraz has been forced to pull out of this week’s tournament in Barcelona with a wrist problem after he opted to play back-to-back tournaments in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, while British No 1’s Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu have struggled to spend lengthy spells on court in the last year without suffering from physical issues.

Former top 10 player Holger Rune is on the comeback trail after he sustained a serious injury at the back end of 2025, with the growing list of players who are sidelined creating a big debate over the sustainability of tennis.

The chase for ranking points and prize money compels players who are not at the very top of the game to play when they are not fully fit, with the ongoing debate over the hectic tournament schedule a gripe most players struggle to contend with.

No player is compelled to play in any event, but there is a drive to chase the next ranking goal or fund your career and that means tournaments are happening all over the world and former British No 1 Tim Henman suggests that mindset needs to change.

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“You know, there’s so much tennis going on in different parts of the world and too much of it is irrelevant,” Henman told Tennis365 at a Sky Sports event in London.

“You look at a week in February and you have Doha, Dubai, Rotterdam, Acapulco, Buenos Aires. What does it mean to a fan? And I think that’s where you could shorten things up. 

“I understand why the Masters 1000s have really gone towards 12 days, but I don’t think it’s conducive to a good calendar for the players.

“At the moment, it doesn’t provide a clear narrative for the fan so certain weeks where there is no tennis are a good thing for everybody.

“It gives the players an opportunity to rest and it gives fans the chance to build the excitement about the next event on the calendar.

“I think we have great assets in tennis, led by the four Grand Slams. The Masters 1000 events are good concepts to get the best players but I think they should be eight or nine days, not 12. Then you can build that product.”

Many players agree with Henman on this point, but the counter-argument comes when star names like Alcaraz use their weeks off to play lucrative exhibition events that boost their bank balances.

It remains to be seen whether a shortened calendar that may be designed to reduce injuries would, in fact, lead to player taking on more travel and matches as they cash in on their star status on the exhibition circuit.

The second talking point on injury is balls and more significantly, the amount of changes around the balls on the tours.

Dunlop balls have been criticised in recent weeks for fluffing up and getting too heavy too quickly, with former British No 1 Greg Rusedski among those leading the calls for change. 

“Can we not just have one ball for every tournament that players are happy with,” said Rusedski on a recent episode of his podcast.

“Stick a logo on the same ball if you have a sponsorship deal, but these Dunlop balls are terrible. They are fluffing up and then you change them after seven games and it completely shifts the balance of a match.

“I have been talking about tennis balls and why they are not good enough since I was playing so why is this still going on.”

The change in balls has been cited as a factor in injury issues as players try and fail to adapt to new conditions from week to week, with Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka among the big names who have complained publicly about the sub-standard balls being used in the professional game in recent months.

Every tournament will sign sponsorship deals with ball manufacturers and that revenue is part of the reason why different brands are used from week to week, but if it is a factor in injuries, changes need to be made.

What we don’t want is to see the sport’s biggest names in the treatment room and any moves we can take to stop that should be explored.

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu loses British No 1 ranking in alternative list as uncertainty hovers around her

The post Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper, Emma Raducanu – are tennis chiefs contributing to an injury crisis? appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz was forced to pull the plug on his Barcelona Open campaign due to a wrist injury, and the setback has impacted his hopes of returning to world No 1.

The Spaniard withdrew before his scheduled second round match against Tomas Machac in Barcelona after sustaining the injury in his opening round win over Otto Virtanen.

In a press conference announcing his withdrawal, Alcaraz said: “It’s a more serious injury than we all expected, and I have to listen to my body so it doesn’t affect me in the future.

“With great sadness, I have to return home and recover as quickly as possible for the upcoming tournaments.”

Alcaraz, who has spent 66 total weeks as the ATP world No 1, saw his sixth and most recent stint in top spot end at 22 weeks after he lost to Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo Masters final last week.

Sinner’s victory in Monte Carlo earned him 1,000 ATP ranking points and lifted him above Alcaraz into the world No 1 position.

The Italian — who is in his 67th week at the pinnacle of the rankings — has 13,350 points, which put him 110 points ahead of Alcaraz in this week’s ATP Rankings.

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However, Alcaraz was defending 330 points this week as he was a runner-up at the 2025 Barcelona Open 12 months ago, meaning he effectively started the week with 12,910 points.

If Alcaraz had secured the 500 points available for winning the title in Barcelona, he would have jumped to 13,410 points and overtaken Sinner to return to world No 1.

The 22-year-old’s opening round win earned him 50 points and increased his tally to 12,960 points — moving him to within 390 points of Sinner.

Alcaraz’s withdrawal means he has been unable to add further to his tally, which ended his hopes of reclaiming the No 1 ranking in Barcelona.

Sinner will, therefore, retain top spot until at least after the Madrid Open — which will begin on 21 April and conclude on 3 May.

Alcaraz’s revelation that his injury was “more serious” than anticipated has cast some doubt over his participation in Madrid, but he is yet to confirm whether he will feature.

If Alcaraz is able to play the Masters 1000 event in the Spanish capital, he will have the opportunity to return to world No 1 after the tournament.

The seven-time Grand Slam winner is not dropping any points in Madrid as he missed last year’s edition of the event, which means he could increase his points tally by up to 1,000 points.

Sinner is in the same position as he was unable to compete at the 2025 Madrid Open. The 24-year-old could guarantee that he remains the world No 1 by claiming the Madrid title, or by matching Alcaraz’s result.

Following his victory in Monte Carlo, Sinner revealed he was yet to decide whether he will compete in Madrid.

“I’ll take two or three days off, then I’ll evaluate with my team whether to go to Madrid or not,” the four-time major winner said.

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The post How Carlos Alcaraz’s Barcelona Open withdrawal affects No 1 ranking battle with Jannik Sinner appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz was forced to pull out of the 2026 Barcelona Open due to a wrist injury, and the Spanish icon may need to take a harsh but important lesson from the setback.

The world No 2 was due to face Tomas Machac in his second round match in Barcelona on Thursday, but the tournament’s biggest star pulled out on Wednesday after undergoing a test on his right wrist and cancelling his scheduled practice session.

At a press conference, Alcaraz confirmed his withdrawal and shared the concerning news that his injury was “more serious” than anticipated.

“It’s a more serious injury than we all expected, and I have to listen to my body so it doesn’t affect me in the future,” he said during the press conference. “With great sadness, I have to return home and recover as quickly as possible for the upcoming tournaments.”

Alcaraz suffered the injury on Tuesday during his opening match at the ATP 500 event — a 6-4, 6-2 win against Otto Virtanen.

When leading 5-4 in the first set, Alcaraz called for the tournament physio and received treatment on his right wrist and forearm area during the changeover. He was heard telling the physio he had felt a “sharp” pain and that he was experiencing discomfort when he hit forehands.

Alcaraz being forced out of Barcelona is a blow in itself, but his revelation about the seriousness of the injury means it could have far more significant consequences.

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While any injury can be considered unfortunate, this untimely setback may force Alcaraz to re-evaluate his approach to scheduling during the clay-court season.

The Madrid Masters, which is the biggest tournament in Alcaraz’s home nation, is set to begin in less than a week, and the Spaniard’s participation is now far from certain.

Alcaraz is then due to play at the Italian Open — another prestigious Masters 1000 event — which will be held from 5 to 17 May.

The clay-court season concludes with the second Grand Slam tournament of the year: the French Open, where main draw action begins on 24 May.

It is a gruelling task to play a clay-court schedule of Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and the French Open — particularly since Madrid and Rome were both expanded from one-week to become 12-day events.

Alcaraz’s desire to play on home soil in both Barcelona and Madrid is entirely understandable, but the calendar arguably makes this too demanding if he has already competed in Monte Carlo.

The seven-time major champion’s win over Virtanen was his sixth match in just eight days after his run to the Monte Carlo Masters final last week.

While the Barcelona Open is a prestigious tournament, it is a level below Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, and its position between Monte Carlo and Madrid is a period where Alcaraz could take a much-needed opportunity to rest — something his biggest rival, Jannik Sinner, is currently doing.

Barcelona is, therefore, the obvious clay-court event for Alcaraz to sacrifice. After his match on Tuesday, Alcaraz acknowledged this himself.

“I’m not afraid to say that maybe this week is the one where I should rest,” he admitted. “We played a Masters 1000 tournament the first week, then we have Madrid and Rome and then Roland Garros.”

The warning signs about this part of the calendar were there for Alcaraz last year, when he won the Monte Carlo Masters before suffering an injury in the Barcelona final that forced him out of Madrid.

The hope for Alcaraz and his fans is that his wrist injury does not cost him another chance to play in Madrid this year, or worse, impact his French Open hopes.

READ NEXT: ATP Madrid Open 2026 Entry List: Alcaraz set to star; will Sinner, Djokovic & Draper play?

The post Why Carlos Alcaraz’s Barcelona Open injury withdrawal may be a harsh but crucial lesson appeared first on Tennis365.

Former world No 1 doubles champion Jamie Murray has announced his retirement from tennis, with the seven-time Grand Slam champion following his brother Andy into the tennis afterlife.

The announcement comes as the elder of the two great Murray brothers has made his moves into different areas of the sport, with his role as Tournament Director at The Queen’s Club combined with an increasingly high-profile broadcasting career.

In a post on social media, he said: “My tennis journey comes to an end after 36 years. I feel very fortunate and privileged for all the amazing experiences this great sport has given me.

“Thanks Mum, Dad, Andy, Ale, Alan, Louis and Thomas for all your incredible support, efforts and sacrifices throughout my career that allowed me to achieve everything I could in the game.

“For everybody else that’s helped and supported me – I appreciate all of you!”

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Murray leaves the game with a glittering legacy, with the story of how he nearly quit the sport in his teenage years highlighting how this story could have had a very different ending.

A highly promising junior player who was being tipped to go all the way to the top as a singles player, he competed against a young Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet in his formative days.

British tennis chiefs quickly identified his potential and he moved away from his Scottish homeland as he joined the LTA network and looked to take his game to the next level.

A combination of homesickness and a change to his forehand that backfired saw him return home and give up the game for a period, as he revealed in next week’s episode of the Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast.

“I was definitely one of the best in the world at 10, 11, 12,” said Murray

“I mean, I was winning a lot of the European tournaments that the LTA would take us to. I was competing with guys like Gasquet and Nadal. They were my age group. They were probably a little bit better than me at that time.

“They were opening up these regional centres for coaching and I went to Cambridge because there was other kids my age there and I knew them all because we were always playing tournaments together.

“It didn’t work out for me at all. I was in a separate school to the kids I knew and the ones I was with didn’t have my lifestyle or interests.

“Then the coaching just didn’t work out for me, which was a shame. They tried to change my forehand and I got massive, like complex about that, which I never really got over and that’s kind of on me, really.

“I guess I figured out how to make that work in order to make a career in tennis. You know, doubles was the way for me to do that. I was not going to be able to play singles with the forehand.

“I basically lost all confidence in the forehand and it was like a really yippy shot for me. And I was like really self-conscious of it through my career. At that point, I basically went home and gave up tennis for about eight or nine months.”

Jamie returned and enjoyed some doubles success with his brother Andy before he went on to win two men’s Doubles titles with Bruno Soares and also claim five Mixed doubles titles at Grand Slam level.

His proudest moment may have come when he played alongside his brother in Britain’s memorable Davis Cup win in 2015, with the ties the duo played in front of their Scottish fans in Glasgow among the most memorable in his career.

He leaves the sport with a fine legacy and a prominent voice that will continue in his role as a commentator as a tournament director.

READ NEXT: Jamie Murray lands prestigious LTA role as he looks to life after tennis

The post Jamie Murray retires: How the once great junior quit tennis – and then became a Grand Slam champion appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz has been forced to withdraw from the Barcelona Open after experiencing wrist pain during his opening-round match at the ATP 500 event.

The Spaniard collected a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Finn Otto Virtanen during his first Barcelona match, but appeared extremely worried at the end of the first set.

Alcaraz received a medical timeout and was treated around his forearm and wrist area – saying, in Spanish, that he was experiencing pain every time he hit a forehand.

Alcaraz’s withdrawal mans that Tomas Machac will move into the quarter-finals and will next play either Andrey Rublev or Lorenzo Sonego.

“It’s a more serious injury than we all expected, and I have to listen to my body so it doesn’t affect me in the future,” the Spaniard stated during his withdrawal press conference.

“With great sadness, I have to return home and recover as quickly as possible for the upcoming tournaments.”

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Less than 24 hours prior to his arrival in Barcelona, Alcaraz had competed in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he was the defending champion.

Unfortunately for the six-time Grand Slam champion, it was rival Jannik Sinner who was victorious 7-6(5), 6-3 – the Italian’s first clay-court Masters 1000 title.

Additionally, Sinner’s trophy lift allowed him to leapfrog Alcaraz’s ranking and retake the world No 1 spot for the first time since mid-2025.

After his first-round victory, he sought to quell any concerns during his press conference and compared it to forearm pain, which he had experienced during the clay-court season two years ago.

“It’s just discomfort, discomfort that pops up, considering the few days I’ve had to recover, when everything has been practically back-to-back, so in the end things come up in some unusual movements,” the world No 2 stated.

“We’ve tried to calm ourselves down, try to keep going, and above all, be more relaxed, especially in the second set, and see what happens.

“It’s a discomfort I’ve had before, which has never led to anything more serious, so let’s hope it’s the same this time.”

Aside from his injury woes, the Spaniard also commented on the struggles of sticking to his schedule – given his Monaco success.

“Well, to be honest, it’s been tough, it’s been a bit of a struggle,” he stated.

“In the end, my first contact with Barcelona was this morning, for about an hour, and then I had to jump right onto the court to compete, and the conditions are completely different.”

The Barcelona Open withdrawal also means that Alcaraz will drop 255 ranking points, after having made the showpiece match at last year’s edition (losing out to Holger Rune).

Monte-Carlo Masters champion Jannik Sinner will now enter the Madrid Masters with a 390-point lead at the top of the rankings.

Neither played in the Spanish capital last season, meaning – if both participate – there is a full 1000 ranking points on offer.

The Madrid Masters takes place from April 22 – May 3, and will feature a 128-player draw.

The post Carlos Alcaraz ‘has to listen to body’ as serious injury forces Barcelona Open withdrawal appeared first on Tennis365.

Jon Wertheim has revealed that the biggest fight that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer ever had was over a proposed change to the ATP’s ranking system.

Despite their fierce on-court battles, Federer and Nadal were known for maintaining a respectful relationship away from competition, becoming closer as the years went by.

The disagreement centred on the ATP rankings system, a topic that has long divided opinion among players. The structure plays a crucial role in scheduling, seeding, and overall career progression.

At the time, there were discussions about potentially changing the system from a 12-month rolling format to a longer-term model, a shift which would have had significant implications across the tour.

Currently, players ‘defend’ points from their results 12 months prior, meaning that – if they don’t do as well – they drop down the rankings.

“The biggest fight I think [Roger] Federer and [Rafael] Nadal ever had, one of their few disputes, was when Rafa and his camp were trying to lobby for a two-year rolling ranking,” he said whilst speaking on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.

“Whether that was because of injuries or because there were additional points…

“It is a little confusing to the casual fan, seeing he got to the final, why would his ranking drop. And then sometimes you say, ‘That guy lost in the second round, how can his ranking go up?’

“Also, the thing with a rolling ranking over 52 weeks is that it’s a nice way to make sure that players re-enter the tournament they won the previous year.

“It’s a nice way for tournaments to make sure the defending champion doesn’t beg off, and they can build a bit of brand equity.

“I think overall it’s fair. Yes, there are some counterintuitive results sometimes.

“Pete Sampras finished year-end number one six years in a row, which I think is an underrated record of his, because it’s wire to wire.

“Sinner did not play Madrid last year, so he doesn’t have to win the tournament, and his ranking will go up.

“I think on balance, I can’t imagine a better system overall.”

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As the long-time tennis commentator mentioned, Nadal had a unique insight into the challenges of a 12-month ranking system, given his long injury record.

Over his career, the Spaniard was forced to miss 18 Grand Slams due to physical discomfort, 15 more than rival Novak Djokovic.

In 2017, after an injury-plagued 2016 season, Nadal had risen back up to the world No 1 spot, but argued that the ranking system should consider results completed over 24 months, rather than 12.

“I’ve said in the past it [the schedule] didn’t work, but it will be better to have a ranking for two years,” he said.

“Two-year ranking, not one-year ranking. That’s going to protect the players and help the players to have periods to find windows for rest.

“Having a one-year ranking, it’s always that if you want to be in a good position in the ranking, you cannot rest much.”

For example, an injured player may not be as likely to participate in a tournament, when injured, if their most recent result still stood for another 12 months.

Meanwhile, six years prior to the Spaniard’s comment, Federer had warned against any change to the rankings system – arguing that it would make it harder for any lower-ranked players to make a breakthrough.

“I’m not a big fan of it, just because I think it would make things rather boring, but that’s my personal opinion,” he commented.

“Other than that, as the president of the player council, I think it’s not a good thing for the lower-ranked players.

“It’s going to be a struggle for them to make a big breakthrough; it’s going to take them multiple breakthroughs, so the dream of having one great tournament and making a move, in my opinion, is never going to happen.

“If we had a two-year ranking, things would be so slow, and nothing would really move.

“I can’t support it as the president of the player council. I have to look at all the players in the eye.

“I know it could be a good thing for me, or Rafa, or other good players, because for us to move down in the rankings, it would take something extraordinary, but for the lower-ranked players, I don’t think it would be a good thing, and that’s why I can’t support it.”

The post Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s ‘biggest fight’ finally disclosed by tennis expert appeared first on Tennis365.

Tennis icon Boris Becker has spoken of his respect for what Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are achieving, while he also issued a warning about Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz and Sinner have established a duopoly at the Grand Slam tournaments, with the duo having collected all of the last nine major titles between them (with Alcaraz winning five and Sinner winning four).

Djokovic was the last player other than Alcaraz and Sinner to secure a Slam title, with the legendary Serb having won his record-extending 24th major at the 2023 US Open. The 38-year-old sits fourth in the ATP Rankings despite playing a limited schedule.

Becker coached Djokovic to six Grand Slams and 14 ATP Masters 1000 titles during a hugely fruitful partnership from December 2013 to December 2016.

Speaking to reporters at an event for the Laureus Awards, Becker argued Djokovic should never be discounted when asked about the dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner.

“First of all, let me express my admiration and respect for what Alcaraz and Sinner are doing, having just shared nine Grand Slam titles between them. And Carlos is only 22 and Jannik is 24,” said the former world No 1.

“But, on the other hand, I really want to see other players come and challenge them. I’m thinking of [Alexander] Zverev. He served for the match in the Australian Open semi-finals against Alcaraz. It was very close.

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“And we mustn’t forget Djokovic. As long as he’s playing, we must never forget him. He operates in a rather unique sphere, with his record of 24 Grand Slam titles.

“He was even in the final in Melbourne. Truly, as long as he is a professional tennis player, he will be a force to be reckoned with.”

The six-time Grand Slam champion also weighed in on Sinner and Alcaraz’s importance to tennis and compared the duo to Ivan Lendl and himself.

“Sinner and Alcaraz are like ice and fire, like the relationship between Lendl and me,” said the German.

“I find Alcaraz a fascinating player. He’s exactly what tennis needs. He’s charismatic, a joy to watch, a true artist of the game. I don’t see any weaknesses in him.

“But artists need a source of inspiration, and I think Sinner is his. Because if the matches become too easy for him, I’m afraid he’ll start to get bored. But he’s only 22, and the sky’s the limit.”

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