Stefanos Tsitsipas makes Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner ‘best in world’ claim
Stefanos Tsitsipas has described facing Carlos Alcaraz as “the ultimate challenge in tennis right now” as he named the Spaniard and Jannik Sinner as the two best players in the world.
The two-time major finalist also backed himself to return to the top 10 “in three weeks” and asserted that the single-handed backhand “is not done yet” despite the decrease in elite players using the shot.
Tsitsipas is in action at the 2024 Miami Open, where he is due to continue his opening match against Denis Shapovalov on Saturday. The world No 11 trailed the Canadian 1-2 in the first set when the match was suspended due to rain on Friday.
The Greek could face world No 3 Sinner if he reaches the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, while he cannot meet second-ranked Alcaraz until the final.
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In an interview with Tennis TV at the Miami Open, Tsitsipas was asked if his practice session with Alcaraz in Miami would change the dynamic when he steps on court.
“It’s the ultimate challenge in tennis right now, so yes it does change a little bit in that regard, absolutely. I feel like I’m being faced against the best player in the world — the other with Jannik Sinner, at the very current moment,” the 25-year-old declared.
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“These two guys have been doing incredibly well and I need to figure it out, I need to find ways to beat them, I need to find solutions on the court. And I feel like tennis at its maximum potential right now are these two guys.
“And Carlos in practice, he hit some big shots. I had to defend those shots, I had to come up with some big shots myself to escape from certain situations and moments.”
Tsitsipas also addressed the fact his fall from the top 10 last month meant there was no player with a single-handed backhand in this elite group for the first time in ATP Rankings history.
“I’ll just tell you, wait three weeks and it’ll be back, that’s my answer (smiles),” the former world No 3 replied when asked about the decline of the shot.
“I am talking to a few younger kids that have chosen to play a single-handed backhand and I’m mentoring them a little bit. It makes me happy to see them choose a single-handed backhand. Some of them as young as eight years old, you know. This is a young age to start playing with a single-handed backhand.
“So definitely, in my honest opinion, I believe we’re gonna see those kids become better in the future and I have no doubt about the fact that these kids are gonna be in the top 10 one day, some of them. I feel like they have great potential.
“Of course, it’s too early to judge something like this, they’re still very young and have a lot of years in front of them. But I believe that the single-handed backhand is not done yet. It’s an old-school shot that gets remastered, reinvented.
“Every single year, you see different players come in and out. So, we’re going to see for sure a lot of players that keep on the legacy of the single-handed backhand.”
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