Jannik Sinner ‘not as brilliant’ as Carlos Alcaraz but has fixed weaknesses Spaniard didn’t ‘exploit’

Tennis365 20 May 2026 9:00 PM

Pictured: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz with Toni Nadal inset

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz with an inset of Toni Nadal

Jannik Sinner is not as “brilliant” as Carlos Alcaraz but the Italian’s consistency is unmatched.

That is according to Toni Nadal, who has heaped praise on the world No 1 heading into the French Open. The 24-year-old is the heavy favourite to win this year’s tournament off the back of winning three-straight clay Masters 1000 titles.

Sinner has won all five Masters events in 2026 and has chalked up a win-loss record of 36-2 to date. Moreover, his great rival, Alcaraz, will not feature at Roland Garros or Wimbledon due to a wrist injury.

Novak Djokovic may be the man most likely to upset Sinner, just as he did at this year’s Australian Open at the semi-final stage. But the soon-to-be 39-year-old has been struggling physically this year, with the veteran admitting he has to get used to this “new reality”.

Incidentally, Uncle Toni, who coached Rafael Nadal for much of his stellar career, outlined the areas of Sinner’s game that the 6ft 3in player has worked on.

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He said on Radioestadio Noche, “Yes, he’s improved. He’s more consistent. He used to have certain difficulties, and I don’t think Alcaraz exploited them enough – on drop shots and low balls.

“He was lacking a touch of finesse, but he’s improved in that area. He’s incorporated the drop shot into his game, he’s also getting to the ball more easily, and he’s better at handling situations when someone changes the pace or plays a drop shot.

“Sinner is a great champion. He has many strengths. He’s not as brilliant as Alcaraz, but he’s more consistent. He doesn’t usually lose his composure on court; he handles the pressure well. He’s a player who has it all, or almost all of it.”

Indeed, since the start of 2024, Sinner has achieved a winning percentage of 92%, 91%, and 95% (so far in 2026), while Alcaraz boasts a slightly less impressive 81%, 89% and 88% in that stretch.

Meanwhile, Toni Nadal added that Sinner is the clear favourite to win in Paris and it seems “practically impossible” for anyone to beat him.

One man that has largely had his number is Alcaraz. The 23-year-old leads their head to head 10-7, although Sinner has won their last two meetings.

But Alcaraz did beat the four-time major winner in the 2025 French Open final, so while many tennis fans will miss the Spaniard’s presence, a number of players may not.

Toni Nadal added, “No one is happy about someone else’s injury, but when (Alcaraz) isn’t playing, everyone is quite happy. Not everyone, because there are players who aren’t affected by Alcaraz, but those who are affected, of course they all want Alcaraz not to play.

“It’s normal; Alcaraz is everyone’s biggest rival. Zverev, Sinner… they know that without Alcaraz in the mix, their chances of winning are much better. I wasn’t happy when Federer didn’t take part or when Djokovic didn’t take part, but I didn’t want it to be that difficult.”