Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz compared to Federer-Djokovic rivalry by former Wimbledon champion
Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash believes it is ‘hard’ to pick the better player between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, as he compared their rivalry to that of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
World No 1 Sinner defeated leading rival and world No 2 Alcaraz in four sets in Sunday’s Wimbledon final, claiming his fourth Grand Slam singles title.
His victory denied Alcaraz a sixth Grand Slam title and a third straight triumph at the All England Club, and saw him turn the tables on his heartbreaking French Open final defeat to the Spaniard.
Alcaraz had won their last five meetings before Sunday’s championship match, though now trails the Italian by over 3,000 points in the ATP Rankings.
The Spaniard has an 8-5 overall lead in their head-to-head, and all eyes are on how their rivalry will continue to develop.
Delivering his verdict to BBC Sport, former world No 4 and 1987 Wimbledon champion Cash noted similarities to the rivalry between all-time greats Djokovic and Federer.
“It’s hard to say who the better player is,” said Cash.
“Carlos Alcaraz has the more complete game, but the more complete game doesn’t always win. Sometimes, you’ve got to choose the right shots to make at the right time.
“Jannik Sinner is just constantly always putting pressure on the opponent. He’s quick, he hits the ball hard, he’s relentless as far as pressure. He can always come forward and volley as well.
“I suppose the more entertaining player is Alcaraz, but that’s not always the case [in terms of ] who’s going to be the winner. We’ve seen that with Federer and Djokovic.
“Federer has of course got all the shots, maybe more shots than somebody like Novak Djokovic, but Novak Djokovic is so very, very good at doing what he is doing. I think we’re seeing the same thing here with Alcaraz and Sinner.
“I think over the next couple of years we’re going to see these two players dominate and grab a whole lot of Grand Slam titles.”
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Sinner and Alcaraz’s success and rivalry, which has seen them split the past seven Grand Slam titles, comes directly after the dominance of Federer, Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal.
And, in further comments made on BBC Radio 5 Live, Cash praised the two stars for “stepping up” to follow in the footsteps of the ‘Big 3’.
He added: “We have just come out of one of the most incredible eras, and suddenly these two guys are stepping up.
“I always say Andre Agassi saved men’s tennis when he came back, and these guys are saving men’s tennis now.”
Sinner and Alcaraz will be the leading favourites to lift the final Grand Slam title of the year when the US Open starts in late August.
World No 1 Sinner will look to defend his title and win a fourth consecutive hard-court major, while Alcaraz will look to add to the 2022 title he won in Flushing Meadows.
