Seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander recently asserted that Carlos Alcaraz is a better player than Jannik Sinner, although the current ATP rankings suggest otherwise.
Sinner rose to World No. 1 for the first time in his career this week, thanks to a stellar first half of the season in which he won a maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open and titles in Rotterdam and Miami.
The 22-year-old has 33 wins from 36 matches to lead the standings, ending Novak Djokovic's long reign. Just behind him is Carlos Alcaraz, who is now the World No. 2.
The Spaniard won the 2024 Roland Garros last weekend with a five-set victory over Alexander Zverev in the final. Wilander, who worked with Eurosport during the fortnight in Paris, had the pleasure of watching both men from close quarters and even occasionally interviewed them.
But in a recent interview with L'Equipe, the Swedish former World No. 1 had his say on who he thinks is the best between Sinner and Alcaraz purely from a spectator's point of view and why the ranking is not a decisive metric to judge their respective levels.
"Carlos Alcaraz has shown that he does not have to play his best tennis to win. He will be able to win many more Slams thanks to his aggressive game and the great courage he shows in important points. The match result always depends on his performance. Sinner is World No. 1 only because of the ‘computer’, but Alcaraz is better."
The three-time major champion currently leads the head-to-head between himself and Sinner at 5-4. He defeated his rival in five sets in the semifinal of this year's Roland Garros.
In fact, two of Sinner's three defeats this year have been inflicted by Alcaraz (the Spaniard also won at the Indian Wells Masters in March).