Jannik Sinner has one crucial edge over Carlos Alcaraz, says tennis great

Mats Wilander believes Carlos Alcaraz will find it difficult to replace Jannik Sinner at No 1 in the ATP Rankings as the Italian has one big advantage over his rival.

Sinner has been top of rankings since June last year as he replaced Novak Djokovic at No 1 after the 2024 French Open.

Alcaraz initially kept the pressure on as he climbed to No 2 on the back of his Roland Garros title, but he fell away towards the backend of the 2024 season as Sinner became a dominant force on the ATP Tour.

The Spaniard and the rest of the chasing pack were given an opportunity to usurp the Italian when he was banned for three months following his two failed drug tests in March 2024.

But the challengers fumbled their big chance as Sinner returned to the sport at the beginning of May with a healthy lead at the top of the rankings.

Alcaraz managed to edge closer after he beat the three-time Grand Slam winner in the recent Italian Open final, winning 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.

With the win, the Spaniard has taken a 7-4 lead in their head-to-head rival as he has won the last four matches.

Alcaraz also handed Sinner his first straight-set loss in 95 matches, proving just how consistent the 23-year-old has been in the last year with Wilander believing that is the Italian’s strong point.

“That’s an unbelievable record [Sinner’s 95-match record]. And it tells you that Jannik Sinner going to stay No 1 for the next three, four, five, six years because he is so consistent, because mentally he’s there on every single point,” the Swede told TNT Sport.

“He reminds me more of the ‘Big Three’ than Carlos Alcaraz does because of his mindset.

“So the big question is whether Carlos Alcaraz is going to return to No 1 in the world ever or within a year, or within two years? Because I think consistency-wise in every tournament, every day, every match, Jannik Sinner is going to be there.

“And when a record is like that, when it stood for two years before he lost in straight sets, that tells the whole story.”

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Alcaraz is the defending champion at next week’s French Open and Wilander makes him favourite just ahead of Sinner.

The Spaniard will most likely also have the support of Parisians, but that could work in Sinner’s favour.

“I think best-of-five sets helps Jannik Sinner,” Wilander said. “I think the French crowd is obviously not going to all be for Sinner. In fact, they are most probably going to be a little bit more for Carlos Alcaraz.

“That’s not because he’s a nicer guy than Jannik Sinner, because they’re two unbelievably great human beings, and of course, they’re great players.

“But with the style of Carlos Alcaraz, I think in every stadium in the world, except Foro Italico [in Rome], Carlos Alcaraz is going to be the crowd favourite. And I think that’s easier for Jannik Sinner to deal with.

“Plus, if it’s five sets, I think that’s easier, too, for Jannik Sinner because he can relax a little bit. So it should make it even more even if they play on Philippe Chatrier in about three weeks.”