Jannik Sinner surprisingly admitted that his rival Carlos Alcaraz's technical game is better than his, and he needs to improve to match him.
Alcaraz and Sinner have established themselves as the two outstanding players on the ATP Tour this year. Novak Djokovic claimed the Olympic gold medal that had been eluding him, but the Serbian did not win a Grand Slam for the first time since 2017.
Instead, Alcaraz and Sinner split the four Grand Slams. The Italian won the two hardcourt majors at the Australian Open and US Open and became world No. 1 after the French Open.
Alcaraz earned the French Open and his second Wimbledon title in 2024. That leaves him at No. 2 in the rankings, although a significant points gap exists between him and Sinner, who has already secured the year-end No. 1 ranking.
Regardless of ranking and form, Sinner and Alcaraz always seem to bring out the best in each other when they play. All four of their meetings this year went to a deciding set. The most dramatic was the Spaniard outlasting his rival after over three hours in the China Open final.
Alcaraz also defeated Sinner in five sets at this year's French Open and in the 2022 US Open quarterfinal. The intensity of the rallies and shot-making between the two men are sometimes scarcely believable.
Sinner spoke about his rivalry with Alcaraz to La Stampa. He gave a refreshingly honest answer, saying that although they are different players, the Spaniard currently has more to his game.
"Alcaraz and I are two very different players. I keep the pace very high, I'm mentally strong. He is physically strong and tennis-wise he has something more at the moment. He plays slice and volleys better, but for me it's positive. It means I have room to improve."
"Carlos is outstanding on the court… drop shots, passing shots, lobs, great vollies. I don't know if I'll ever be like that. As a tennis player I'm solid and when needed I can hit the winner. We both bring out the best in the important points."
The US Open champion also compared Alcaraz to Rafael Nadal because of how much he runs and his ability to wow a crowd. By contrast, Sinner feels he is generally calmer and colder than his rival.
"Carlos is similar to Nadal, he presses from the first point and runs a lot. He knows how to turn on the crowd. I am calmer, colder, but I can get hot too. Sometimes it's good to get nervous and yell at the team, to step out of the box for a moment and then get back into it. You can do it if you have people you trust around you."
Alcaraz is known for possessing a complete style, which is why Ben Shelton says he can hit every shot imaginable. That means there might be an element of truth to Sinner's words about him having more tennis-wise.
Yet, despite his rival's complete game, Sinner comfortably leads at No. 1. That shows his greater consistency this season, pointing to the mental strength that the 23-year-old also mentioned in his comments.
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