Rafael Nadal believes Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz are ahead of their rivals, and only injury issues can stop them.
Sinner and Alcaraz are still only 23 and 21, respectively. Yet, the pair are already building a thrilling rivalry, with the level of tennis being outstanding when they compete against each other.
The 2022 US Open quarterfinal between Sinner and Alcaraz was one of the greatest matches ever played at the US Open. After five incredible sets of tennis, the Spaniard prevailed at 2:50 am on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
All four matches between them in 2024 went to a deciding set. Alcaraz won the first three at the Indian Wells Open, the US Open, and the China Open final, where he outlasted Sinner after more than three hours.
The Italian ended his streak of defeats to Alcaraz by beating him 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the Six Kings Slam Exhibition, earning the largest paycheck in tennis history, $6 million.
Nadal also played at the exhibition in Saudi Arabia. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has close links to the country as an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation, although he recently faced questions about contributing to sports washing in the country.
Alcaraz easily defeated Nadal in the semifinal of the Six Kings Slam, giving the older Spaniard a chance to appreciate how good his younger compatriot's level is. The two will likely play doubles together at the Davis Cup Finals next month, Nadal's last event before retiring.
Nadal is very impressed by Sinner and Alcaraz. In an interview with AS, he said the young pair are ahead of the other players on the ATP Tour and does not think anyone can continuously challenge them.
"These two [Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner] are above all the others. I don't see a rival who can overshadow them on a continuous basis. On a day-to-day basis, there are obviously a lot of very good people."
"But in the medium term, there is no one who can really compete with them as long as they don't have an injury that prevents them from performing at the same level."
Nadal also believes a new era of tennis has arrived because of Sinner and Alcaraz's high level and his and Roger Federer's retirement. Only Novak Djokovic remains of the players who used to dominate, but the Serbian did not win a Grand Slam this season.
"We are talking about another era, one that has already arrived with a player like Carlos, who has four Grand Slams. Jannik, two. Every year there are champions and if they manage to maintain this level, they will also be generating great interest. Over time this interest will grow for obvious reasons, because great stars and personalities are not made in two days."
Although Nadal has previously stated Sinner and Alcaraz should not be compared to him, Federer, and Djokovic, the temptation to do that will exist if the pair continue to play such epic matches.
0 Comments