Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz rivals told they’re ‘not consistent enough’ by former top-10 star
Key rivals of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have been told they are “not consistent enough” at Grand Slams by former world No 9 Marc Rosset.
World No 1 Sinner and No 2 Alcaraz have been the dominant forces in men’s tennis across 2o24, with the duo sweeping all four Grand Slam tournaments, alongside an array of other big titles.
Italian Sinner triumphed at the Australian and US Opens and has also won Masters 1000 titles in Miami, Cincinnati, and Shanghai.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz swept the ‘Channel Slam’ this summer, winning both the French Open and Wimbledon, while also prevailing in Indian Wells and Beijing.
With the ‘Big 3’ era coming to a close many had previously predicted the ensuing years would provide more opportunities at majors, but the dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz has called that into question.
And, speaking to L’Equipe, Olympic gold medallist Rosset slammed the likes of Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas for not being consistent enough at the four majors.
“Back when Roger Federer dominated the ranking, the top 10 rarely moved,” said the Swiss.
“Guys like Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Cilic or Stan Wawrinka were well established. These guys performed regularly in the Grand Slams.
“A guy in eighth place, if he fulfilled his contract by reaching the quarters, would stay in the top 10.
“When I look at the current rankings, beyond the top five, they’re not consistent enough in Grand Slams to make a lasting impression.
ATP Tour News
Jannik Sinner addresses ‘playing for money’ as Stan Wawrinka issues brutal response
Casper Ruud blasts rivals for ‘making drama’ after Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev complaints
“Taylor Fritz is there for his US Open final. Andrey Rublev plays a lot, but struggles in the Grand Slam tournaments. Casper Ruud is having an average season.
“And behind him, Tsitsipas, he shines somewhere and gets a second round at Wimbledon, then makes the final elsewhere. It’s too disjointed.
“[Ben] Shelton is up and down all season. [Frances] Tiafoe is the same. [Lorenzo] Musetti can win a tournament but miss out so often.
“[Felix] Auger-Aliassime, we’re not even talking about him, I wonder how he’s still here. These guys can perform, but also lose to second-tier players – you don’t understand why.”
Sinner and Alcaraz are not only world No 1 and 2 in the current ATP rankings but also in the race to the ATP Finals in Turin, with the former having already sealed the year-end No 1 ranking.
The closest player to them in terms of ranking points is world No 3 and French Open runner-up Alexander Zverev, though the German was again unable to win his maiden Slam in 2024.
The likes of Ruud, Rublev, and Tsitsipas are all embroiled in a battle to make the ATP Finals, perhaps in part due to a lack of success at the majors.
Former world No 2 Ruud reached the last four in Paris but failed to make a quarter-final elsewhere, while Rublev and Tsitsipas reached just one Slam quarter-final each.
