The coach, Carlos Alcaraz, compares the rise of Jannik Sinner to that of Novak Djokovic.
The impact that Jannik Sinner is having on Carlos Alcaraz is comparable to the period when Novak Djokovic became the top player and challenged Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, according to Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero.
The former world number one made it clear that Sinner’s accomplishment is motivating Alcaraz more than Djokovic’s win at the 2023 ATP Finals.
Alcaraz has had an incredible career to date, having won two Grand Slam titles and becoming the youngest player to ever occupy the top ranking in the ATP rankings after winning the US Open in 2022.
After winning his most recent trophy—the remarkable victory at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships in July—the 20-year-old Spanish star has experienced more hardships. The world No. 2 advanced to his only final at the Cincinnati Masters in August after winning the All England Club.
Since the start of Alcaraz’s decline, Sinner has experienced the best run of his career thus far and has advanced to a new level.
Sinner won titles in Beijing and Toronto, placed second in the ATP Finals in Turin the year before, and captained Italy to the Davis Cup final. Sinner had been to the Wimbledon semifinals as well.
The Italian, who won his first major title last month at the Australian Open, continued to show off his amazing form heading into 2024 when he won the Rotterdam Open last week.
The 22-year-old, who has won 15 straight games, reached a career-high rating of No. 3 in the world this week.
After being defeated by Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open quarterfinals, Alcaraz was defeated by Nicolas Jarry in the Argentina Open semifinals last week.
READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz’s coach commends Novak Djokovic’s adaptability as he takes on Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
In an interview with La Nacion, Ferrero was asked if Sinner’s explosion was another source of inspiration for him or if it was a warning to Alcaraz.
The 2003 French Open winner remarked, We knew this moment was coming; Sinner has been pounding on the door for a long time, and we watched him play tennis to win Grand Slams. Two years ago, we already witnessed Sinner operating with remarkable efficiency.
There might have been some physical uncertainty initially because he was a very skinny player, but as he improved and trained, he was successful.
Similar to Carlos, he is a player to keep an eye on in every competition and a strong candidate to win.
“I think his entrance was similar to Rafa and Roger’s, who were pushing the car together before Novak showed in and are now sort of pushing Carlos and Sinner.
I inquired with Carlos whether he had seen Novak employ that level to win the Masters (ATP Finals) the previous year.
We now have to train like animals in order to reach Novak’s level. It is our duty, and Jannik is ours. He answered me, Yes, yes, yes, let’s continue with everything.
