Andy Murray's former coach, Mark Petchey, has dismissed criticism of modern players' personalities and thinks Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's rivalry is a perfect balance.
Alcaraz and Sinner are still young at ages 21 and 23. However, the pair established themselves as the two best ATP players in 2024 after they split the four Grand Slams between them.
The duo has also contested some of the best matches seen in recent years. An example was their extraordinary 2022 US Open quarterfinal when Alcaraz saved match points to win in five sets after a contest filled with outstanding shot-making from both men.
A more recent illustration of how thrilling their battles are came at this year's China Open final. Alcaraz outlasted Sinner in a deciding set tiebreak after a brutal battle that lasted over three hours.
Both men's levels are so high that Thanasi Kokkinakis does not think it is unreasonable to compare them to tennis legends Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, although others think it is too early for such comparisons.
Despite Sinner and Alcaraz's quality of tennis, Nick Kyrgios has criticized players at the top of the men's game for not having big personalities and being too nice to each other. The Australian thinks this makes the sport dull.
Petchey, who spoke to Betway, disagrees with the Australian and anyone else who criticizes Alcaraz and Sinner. He argues that it is impossible to call Alcaraz dull when the Spaniard regularly produces some of the most electrifying tennis the sport has ever seen.
"I think Alcaraz is arguably one of the greatest tennis players already. Are you going to say that one of the greatest tennis players that lights up a tennis court in a way that very few tennis players have had over the years is suddenly dull?"
Sinner and Alcaraz have differing personalities on the court. The Italian keeps his emotions in check, while Alcaraz smiles more and does not mind engaging with the fans after producing a great shot or participating in an epic rally.
Petchey believes those differences are good for tennis and used the example of how former legends Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, and Jimmy Connors acted differently, which added to the spectacle.
“I'll always go back to the Fire and Ice era of Borg and McEnroe. If Bjorn had played Bjorn nobody would be talking about that era in terms of how exciting it was. “It was Mac who brought the passion, Jimmy Connors the bad boy. Borg the ice."
"You need great rivalries and different personalities. It is Fire and Ice 2.0 for me with Jannik and Carlos. We might not have the trash talk of the 80s but tennis actually is an unbelievably healthy space."
"You want to see people who are trying to win big competitions that are being ultra professional in doing that. Otherwise, what are we celebrating? People that are mediocre."
Although all fans are entitled to their opinion, the outstanding quality Alcaraz and Sinner produce during their matches seems more important than whether the two men engage in any trash talk with each other.
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