Jannik Sinner set to face a new challenge in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, claims former British No 1
Jannik Sinner has been told that he will now face a whole new wave of pressure after his big rival Carlos Alcaraz was ruled out of the upcoming Italian Open and the French Open.
Sinner played Alcaraz inn the final of both the Rome tournament and at Roland Garros last year, with the Spaniard coming out on top on both occasions.
Their final in Paris was one of the greatest tennis matches of all-time with Sinner failing to convert two match points in the fourth set before going on to lose a fifth set tie-breaker.
There would have been an expectation that the ‘Big 2’ in men’s tennis would meet again in this year’s Roland Garros final, but Alcaraz’s wrist injury has paused their rivalry for now.
According to former British No 1 Greg Rusedski, Alcaraz’s injury will ensure an even brighter light will be shone on Sinner, as he spoke on an upcoming edition of the Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast.
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“There’s a lot more pressure and expectation, because I’m saying he’s gonna win the French Open, he’s gonna win Madrid, he’s gonna win Rome, he should win everything he plays now,” said Rusedski, in an exclusive podcast extract on Tennis365.
“Then imagine if Alcaraz doesn’t show up to Wimbledon. Again, the pressure will be on. You should win everything, you should win everything. That’s not easy to manage that expectation and pressure.
“Yes, he’s mentally tough, but all of a sudden you take away his biggest rival and everybody says you should win. The other players are looking like they’re starting to step up as well.
“So far, Jannik has been unbelievable. I’ve been watching him this week. When he is challenged, Janik puts on the afterburners.
“What I’ve noticed this week is the use of the slice short sometimes to bring his opponents in, the willingness to come forward. And he just plays all the time the right shot. Even though he doesn’t always execute it.
“It reminds me of Rafa. Rafa said this wonderful quote in 2019 when he was playing the US Open finals. He said that technically I can miss, but mentally I can’t disappear.
“I think from Rafa’s point of view, that’s what made him so strong. And also from the point of view of Jannik Sinner, that was also his main strength was between the ears. And that’s what makes him so good.”
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Domination from one player is not always the best recipe for interest in any sport, but Rusedski does not believe a Sinner trophy clean sweep in the absence of Alcaraz will be bad for men’s tennis.
“I don’t think it would be bad because it’s history-making,” added Rusedski. “If he wins everything on the board, he will have won all nine Master Series titles and all four Grand Slams if he wins in Paris. That would be amazing.
“There’s very few players that have done that in the history of our sport. So imagine he has all nine Masters and all four majors at such a young age.”
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