Carlos Alcaraz is on course for a showdown against world No 1 Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s Roland Garros final, with leading coach Patrick Mouratoglou suggesting the Spaniard is the only player who intimidates the dominant Italian.
Alcaraz and Sinner have been the stand-out players in Paris this year, as they have lived up to their billing in impressive fashion in the opening rounds of the tournament.
Now defending champion Alcaraz needs to get past Lorenzo Musetti to book his place in the final once again, while Sinner needs to beat Novak Djokovic to seal his spot.
With the odds on the ‘Big 2’ clashing on Sunday narrowing, Mouratoglou has given her verdict on what to expect, as he suggested Alcaraz’s win against Sinner in the Italian Open final earlier this month could be crucial to what comes next in Paris.
“It’s the new rivalry everyone’s talking about, and for good reason. It wears two names: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz,” said Mouratoglou on a LinkedIn post.
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“Jannik is in the semifinals of Roland-Garros, without dropping a single set. Carlos is also in the final four, back to his explosive best. The rivalry is building, and it’s becoming something very special.
“Right now, only one player seems to have the key to beating Sinner and that’s Alcaraz. The reverse isn’t true. Alcaraz has beaten Sinner in their last four matches.
“Sinner dominates most players. Why? Because he gives them nothing. He’s mentally strong, consistent, and has no real weaknesses to target.
When players face Sinner, they don’t know what to do. You can feel the resignation. That fear. He reminds me of what Rafael Nadal used to impose at Roland-Garros: when you stepped on court against him, deep down, you knew you were going to lose.
“Alcaraz? He’s different. Earlier this season, he wasn’t quite there mentally. Too many unforced errors. No rhythm. He was winning, but far from his best level, maybe at 50 or 60% of it.
“Now? He’s back to 100%. Inspired. Confident. Free. And the win over Sinner in the Rome final changed everything. That victory triggered a switch. Since then, he’s looked like a Grand Slam favorite again.
“This rivalry could define the next decade of men’s tennis. And I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet. Can’t wait to see how the next chapter unfolds in Paris.”
Former British No 1 Tim Henman gave Tennis365 his verdict on the Alcaraz vs Sinner battle, as he spoke to us inside the TNT Sports studio at Roland Garros.
“I think Carlos is the favourite,” Henman told Tennis365. “You look at the clay court tournaments he’s played and his results are impressive.
“He won Monte Carlo, reached the final in Barcelona and he won in Rome, beating Sinner in straight sets in the final.
“He’s won here, defending champion, he’s playing well and the only issue for me with Alcaraz is these dips in focus he seems to have in matches occasionally.
“You can get away with that against the lower-ranked players and come back and find a way to win, but you can’t do that when you get to play the top players in the world and that’s the area Alcaraz needs to iron out of his game.
“When you are having these lapses of concentration in matches against the lower-ranked played, you are increasing the chances of them happening at the end of the tournament.
“So he needs to ingrain these good habits. If he has those dips against a player like Jannik Sinner in the final, Sinner will take advantage.
“When you compare him to Sinner, he doesn’t have those dips. He is relentless in his ball striking.
“Sinner is looking fantastic and while we know Alcaraz gives him different problems, Carlos needs to play at his best to beat him.”
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