A popularity contest at the top of men’s tennis was often a big talking point when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were dominating the sport and we may soon have the debate revived with the new ‘Big 2’ in men’s tennis.
Djokovic fans who appeared to relish social media battles with a little too much relish were always quick to suggest their man was treated differently by the world’s media than Federer and Nadal, with the Serbian backing up those sentiments in numerous interviews.
The simple truth was that Federer and Nadal had a bigger and wider fanbase than a rival who broke through at the top of the game after they had started their rivalry, with the third member of the ‘Big 3’ an unwanted distraction for fans keen to cherish the Roger vs Rafa showdowns.
Now we have started a new era in men’s tennis, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominating at the top of the game and once again, there is a clear winner in the popularity stakes.
While Sinner’s brilliantly efficient tennis is admired, Alcaraz’s beaming smile and endearing personality mean he is the player more tennis fans have warmed to during a period when he has shared the Grand Slam titles with his Italian rival.
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Alcaraz is the shining star of men’s tennis and his eagerness to take part in engaging interviews and show his personality to fans has helped him to build up a huge following among youthful supporters.
Young boys and girls around the world have adopted Alcaraz as their new sporting hero and, inevitably, they will be cheering against his big rival Sinner.
While Sinner has yet to face the kind of animosity Djokovic has been forced to deal with in a career that has seen him booed and jeered by fans around the world, the Italian may never attract the kind of devotion Alcaraz gets.
In Italy, Sinner is a national hero, but his calm and polite personality is not as exciting as Alcaraz’s ebullient charm and he accepts his rival will always be a step ahead of him in that department.
“We are two different kinds of players, different personalities,” Sinner said. “I am the more solid player in a way, you are much better with the touch of the ball, you have very good sensibility.
“Carlos is a great person and that is why we have such a good friendship away from the court. We can all see he smiles a lot and he has a nice personality, so he is great for tennis.”
The battle on the court between these two great champions will be fascinating to watch, but Alcaraz may always have an edge on his more stoic rival off it and that is likely to lead to more lucrative sponsorship deals with companies eager to be part of the story of the most popular player in tennis.
However, money is unlikely to be a concern for either of these two great champions who will be taking home in excess of $20million in prize money every year for the foreseeable future if they continue their domination of the men’s game.
The post Why Jannik Sinner is destined to lose out to Carlos Alcaraz in one big battle appeared first on Tennis365.
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