Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz warned they ‘wont be able to rest easy anymore’
The search for a “third contender” in men’s tennis is over with Mats Wilander suggesting Alexander Zverev’s French Open title run will help to “get very close” to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s level.
Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated the sport over the past two years as they shared nine Grand Slams between them with the run starting at the 2024 Australian Open before it came to an end at the recently-concluded French Open when Zverev won his maiden major.
Zverev, though, didn’t face a top-five player during his run in Paris as the Roland Garros draw didn’t feature Alcaraz as the Spaniard missed his title defence due to a wrist injury, while Sinner was stunned in the second round and Novak Djokovic in the third round.
Tenth seed Flavio Cobolli was the highest-ranked player that the German faced and that was in the final, which he won in four sets.
But former world No 1 Wilander told Gazzetta Dello Sport that for Zverev it was a case of getting a monkey off his back as he managed to control his emotions.
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“Many people thought he wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure yet again, especially when he became the favourite following the exits of Sinner and [Novak] Djokovic,” the seven-time Grand Slam winner said.
“Instead, this time he managed to turn that tension into positive energy; he motivated himself by thinking he finally had the chance of a lifetime, and played better and better as the tournament progressed and he faced tough opponents like [Rafael] Jodar and [Jacob] Mensik. And ultimately, he managed his emotions better in the final too.”
With his win, Zverev edged closer to Alcaraz in the ATP Rankings and he has a chance to move up to third place after Wimbledon with Sinner still way out in front, bringing an end to the top two’s dominant streak.
Zverev has certainly been one of the form players in recent months as he was more than 7,000 points behind the top two and Wilander believes his French Open title proves that he is now a third wheel who can challenge Sinner and Alcaraz.
“In my opinion, he’ll play more relaxed; he’s lifted a huge weight off his shoulders. I think that if we were looking for a third contender between Sinner and Alcaraz, we’ve finally found him,” the Swede said.
“Jannik and Carlos won’t be able to rest easy anymore; in my view, Sascha will get very close to their level.”
