Exclusive: Has ‘more consistent’ Jannik Sinner’s absence fuelled Carlos Alcaraz criticism?

Has Jannik Sinner’s current absence from the ATP Tour helped fuel recent criticism of Carlos Alcaraz?

That’s the verdict of former world No 6 Gilles Simon, who believes the lack of a “more consistent” Sinner over the past two months has increased speculation surrounding Alcaraz’s form.

Over the past 15 months, Sinner and Alcaraz have widely been hailed as the leading stars of a new era of tennis, following in the footsteps of the ‘Big Three’ and Andy Murray.

Both men won two Grand Slam titles in 2024, though it was Sinner who finished the year as the world No 1 ahead of world No 3 Alcaraz – winning eight total titles compared to the Spaniard’s four.

With the Italian serving a three-month suspension, which began in February and will not end until early May, many backed Alcaraz to reclaim the No 1 ranking he had previously held for 36 weeks.

However, since his rival’s ban, the Spaniard has not won a title, losing in the Qatar Open quarter-final, Indian Wells semi-final, and in his opening match at the Miami Open.

Alcaraz will look to return to form at the Monte Carlo Masters and, ahead of the tournament, admitted he was frustrated at recent criticism directed his way.

Speaking to Tennis365, Simon claimed Alcaraz was facing heavier criticism as his results were under stronger scrutiny without Sinner – something that rarely emerged during the ‘Big Three’ and Murray era.

“I’m from a generation where the top players were able to win every week – but there were four, which means there were not all four winning at the same time,” said the 14-time ATP titleist.

“Sometimes it was one at the top winning everything, and the other ones were not winning. As we were sometimes seeing them as a group, we felt that they were always there.

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“Today, the two players that could be in this way are Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Jannik is more consistent, and this is why he is at this ranking, I don’t think he’s a better tennis player – I just think he’s more consistent.

“The ranking is over one year, and he doesn’t have these up and downs that Carlos can have. We all know if they play at their highest level, both of them, we are not sure that Jannik is going to win.

“Carlos is a bit more up and down. Jannik is not here at the moment, so if Carlos is a bit down, we feel like he disappeared or it’s a big mess or like the tour looks like nothing, and it’s a different winner every week.

“In the end, I think it was just a bad habit that we had with Roger, Rafa, and Novak being there, but also being four of them, when one had an accident like Carlos can have.”

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and  Novak Djokovic defined an era of tennis and dominated the men’s game for the best part of two decades.

However, it was not always the case that there was an established ‘Big Three’, with Federer – the oldest of the trio – the first to break through and dominate the sport.

While Federer was dominant throughout large parts of the mid-2000s, there were times when the Swiss’ results were under significant scrutiny.

And Simon recalled the 20-time Grand Slam champion being beaten by Guillermo Canas in both Indian Wells and Miami in 2007, claiming the Swiss faced a similar level of criticism as Alcaraz currently is.

He added: “The first time I came in Indian Wells and Miami, Roger lost to Canas twice, and it was a big deal because he was the only one at that time. The other ones [Nadal and Djokovic] were not there yet.

“If it happens five years later, same thing, he would lose – but then we still have Rafa and Novak in the final, and everyone forgets.

“This is where I feel like we can see that only two players are currently carrying the tour, or get this huge attention and focus on them.

“He’s [Alcaraz] a top player, he’s won four Slams, he’s 21 years old, he’s achieving crazy things, and sometimes it’s just human that you are not going to win everything.”

Simon was speaking in his role as an ambassador and team captain for the 2025 Roland-Garros eSeries by Renault.

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