Former world No 1 makes lavish Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner claim
Mats Wilander believes Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have taken tennis in ‘a different direction’, as he suggested the duo have changed the future of the sport forever.
Alcaraz and Sinner have stepped into the void created by the retirement of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, with Novak Djokovic likely to follow them into the tennis afterlife soon.
Yet the sport is thriving after the dominant era of the ‘Big 3’ came to an end, with Wilander suggesting the level of play being served up by Alcaraz and Sinner has taken tennis to the next level.
“Alcaraz and Sinner are taking it in a direction where it’s never been before, and it’s not coming back,” said TNT Sports analyst Wilander.
“The next athlete in 10 years that plays tennis better be a better athlete than these guys today and have better technique because that’s the direction that Sinner and Alcaraz are taking it on every surface. That is amazing.
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“I think we have to start to understand that we are actually watching somebody who could become among the greatest players of all time in both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. And the other thing that I really love is the way they’re taking our game.”
Wilander believes defending champion Alcaraz is the outstanding favourite to win a third successive Wimbledon title, as he believes grass suits his game better than any other surface.
“I think that grass is just such a perfect surface for Alcaraz,” he added.
“First of all, because the way he moves because he knows how to slide, he knows how to stop, he knows how to not slide if that’s what he wants to because he takes so many short steps.
“So I think the movement for him is not a big difference from the movement on a clay court or even on a hard court. I think he’s alone in that.
“I think if you compare that to the great Roger Federer, his movement wasn’t really hampered either because he decided to never slide on the grass court, pretty much. So he was always on balance. So I think that’s the first thing.
“Then the second thing is on a grass court, the rallies are less thoughtful in a way because you’re having to hit a little slice here and you’re just staying alive in rallies. And when the ball sits up, you smack it as hard as you can.
“So it’s perfect for Alcaraz because there are less patterns on a grass court than there are on a clay court. I think it just suits him perfectly.
“I think he’s having more fun than ever when he plays on a grass court, which is back to what we used to think when you come from a clay court and go to grass court because you come to the net all the time.
“We play all these crazy points and there’s drop shots and the little slices. I just think the joy that you see in his eye, and then you add the spirit of the competitor that he is. He’s just a joy to watch on a grass court for me.”
Mats Wilander was speaking to Eurosport which provides coverage of every match at Wimbledon in 11 markets in Europe as well as showing a daily highlights programme on TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland.
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