Andy Roddick disputes Alexander Zverev verdict on Jannik Sinner dominance
Andy Roddick believes Alexander Zverev is wrong to place Jannik Sinner in a league of his own, arguing instead that Carlos Alcaraz also deserves to be part of the sport’s elite tier, above the rest of the field.
Sinner has dominated the 2026 season since March, winning titles at Indian Wells Masters, the Miami Open, the Monte-Carlo Masters, and the Madrid Open.
As a result, the Italian currently sits 1,750 points ahead of world No 2 Alcaraz in the Live ATP Rankings and appears set to extend that advantage, with the Spaniard sidelined until at least the end of June due to a wrist injury.
In Madrid, the four-time Grand Slam champion became the first man to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles, including the indoor Paris event at the end of last season.
It was Zverev who fell victim to Sinner’s dominance in the Madrid Open final, with the Italian storming to a 6-1, 6-2 victory in just 58 minutes.
Following the match, the German claimed that Sinner currently sits on a level above the rest of the ATP Tour – including seven-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz.
“Well, I think there’s a big gap between [Jannik] Sinner and everybody else right now,” stated Zverev.
“It’s quite simple. I think there’s a big gap between Sinner and everybody else.
“And I think there’s a big gap between [Carlos] Alcaraz, myself, maybe Novak [Djokovic], and everybody else. I think there are two gaps right now.”
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However, before his defeat to Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells, Alcaraz had won each of his opening 16 matches of the season and became the youngest player ever to complete the Career Grand Slam after triumphing at the Australian Open.
Prior to his recent wrist injury, the Spaniard also reached the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he fell 7-6(5), 6-3 to Sinner.
Roddick, a former world No 1 and US Open champion, disagrees with Zverev’s assessment and instead places Alcaraz alongside the Italian at the top of the men’s game.
“I don’t know that I’m ready to take the leap, that there’s a gap between him [Sinner] and Carlos [Alcaraz] that’s sizeable, which I think is what he was saying,” said Roddick on his self-titled podcast.
“I don’t see a grouping of one [Sinner] and then three [Alcaraz, Zverev, and Djokovic].
“I see a grouping of two and then the rest, generally speaking.
“I talked to him this off-season, I really enjoy talking tennis with Zverev.
“A lot of tennis players that you talk to, listen, it’s in our job title to be in denial if things aren’t going well. We’re experts at lying to ourselves.
“Zverev, I talk to him, he’s so eyes wide open. He’s like, listen, I understand that my career is going to be defined by whether I can win the last two matches of a Slam.
“It makes it really easy to cover him, because he says everything first.
“People say he shouldn’t be saying that, but it’s reality, though. If he sits there and goes, there’s not that much of a difference. I was probably guilty of that; I wanted to lie to myself all the time.”
Roddick also analysed the tactical decisions Zverev made during the Madrid Open final.
“If you’re Zverev, I’m curious what the discussions are in-house,” he said.
“He made a couple of adjustments early in that match, where he was coming in a little bit, did the right thing, then he missed a volley, missed an overhead.
“All of a sudden, it’s 15-40, you get broken, and Sinner doesn’t give a lot of matches back.”
Zverev has reached three Grand Slam finals, including the 2020 US Open against Dominic Thiem, where he squandered a two-set and break lead before ultimately losing, despite serving for the match at 5-3 in the fifth set
