Sinner 'More So' A Big Match Player Than Alcaraz According To Wilander
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Seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander has claimed that Jannik Sinner is more of a big-match player than Carlos Alcaraz, despite also thinking the Spaniard is very good on significant stages.
Despite their young ages, sinner and Alcaraz have already developed one of the best tennis rivalries. Their epic matches include one of the greatest US Open matches ever in 2022 and another five-set battle at this year's French Open.
Another example was Alcaraz outlasting Jannik Sinner after over three hours on court to win the China Open final. The Italian got revenge by winning their most recent meeting at the Six Kings Slam.
One impressive record that both men share is winning all their Grand Slam finals. Sinner secured his first two Grand Slam titles at this year's Australian Open and US Open, having never previously made a final.
Alcaraz also holds a 100% record in major finals. His triumphs were at the 2022 US Open, this year's French Open, and the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon championships. That shows the superb mentality of both players.
However, speaking to Eurosport, Wilander said he thinks Sinner is an incredible big match player, having previously had doubts about him on the most significant stages, and puts him ahead of Alcaraz in that area.
“It goes to show he’s a big, big, big time, big match player. That’s one thing that I was not sure about a few years ago. I knew Alcaraz was. Now it’s very, very clear. Sinner is a big time, big match player a la Novak Djokovic, more so than Alcaraz in a way."
"Sinner shows up, plays the same way, except better when the pressure is on, and he doesn’t have any dips in his tennis throughout the whole tournament of the US Open or throughout the whole of the Australian Open."
However, Wilander does have some concerns about Sinner's recent attempts to gain muscle. The Swede worries that if his body cannot cope with the extra weight, the world champion could sustain injuries.
"Sinner is very difficult to know at this stage because he’s had some injuries. Obviously, he’s trying to put a lot of muscle on and get stronger. The question is, when you do that, can your body handle it?"
"I’m a firm believer that your natural body shape is what your joints and what your bones can handle. If you add five, 10, 15 kilos of muscle, can your body still handle it?"
"In general, not just physically, but also mentally and in terms of viruses and illnesses and whatever. He’s had a lot of injuries. He’s had a lot of issues."
The best test of Wilander's opinion will probably be when Sinner and Alcaraz meet in a Grand Slam final. They have yet to meet at that stage of a major, but it seems like only a matter of time before that changes.
For now, Alcaraz will try to respond in his next ATP Finals match after losing to Casper Ruud while suffering from sickness.
Latest Comments
- Kyrgios will do anything to stay in the news.shirley19-12-2024
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MrMustard18-12-2024 - All that is said , all that is done. Nick has 0 grand slams wins. Everything else is hot 🥵 air.MrMustard18-12-2024
- All that is said , all that isMrMustard18-12-2024
- Kyrgios is a jerk.shirley17-12-2024
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Stella112-12-2024 - All players should be treated the same for taking banned substances, if your no 1 in the world or no 300 man or woman you should not be allowed to keep playing,,VPH108-12-2024
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