Carlos Alcaraz ‘seems a little better’ than Jannik Sinner, says Toni Nadal
Jannik Sinner is the man in the driving seat in terms of form and the number one ranking, but Toni Nadal believes Carlos Alcaraz still has the overall edge in terms of the rivalry with the Italian.
Sinner has dominated tennis this year as he won the Australian Open, Rotterdam Open and Miami Open for a 22-1 record in 2024 with those titles pushing him to a career-high No 2 in the ATP Rankings with only Novak Djokovic ahead of him.
Despite a lacklustre start to his 2024 campaign, Alcaraz has also had success as he won the Indian Wells Open – defeating Sinner on the way to the title – but he has also lost four matches this year and stands at 15-4.
Many believe the pair will headline the sport over the next few years in a similar way that the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer dominated tennis for more than two decades.
Nadal, the uncle and former coach of 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal, believes the baton has already been passed from the Big Three to the two youngsters.
But the big question is: Who is better – Alcaraz or Sinner?
“Clearly the baton has been passed in tennis with Alcaraz and Sinner. They are showing that they will be difficult to beat for their rivals,” Toni told Spanish media.
“Alcaraz seems a little better to me than Sinner. They both have a lot of talent and perseverance because otherwise they would not have reached the level they have reached.”
READ MORE: ‘Carlos Alcaraz could become second most important player ever after GOAT Roger Federer’
Although still only 20, Alcaraz is already a two-time Grand Slam winner following his success at the 2022 US Open and Wimbledon last year. He has already won 13 singles titles and has been No 1 in the rankings.
The 22-year-old Sinner made his Grand Slam breakthrough at the Australian Open and has also won 13 titles.
The Italian replaced Alcaraz at No 2 in the rankings on the back of his title run at the Miami Open and he is currently 1,015 points adrift of Djokovic.
However, the 22-year-old could mathematically replace Djokovic at the top before the Italian Open, but of course he would need to win the Monte Carlo Masters and/or the Madrid Open.
It does appear to be only a matter of time before Sinner gets to No 1 in the rankings.
The 63-year-old Nadal added: “[Sinner] does not fail, and today he is the main favourite to reach number one. A very good rivalry in the coming years for tennis, for Spain and for sport in general.”
