Tennis
‘He makes me a better tennis player,’ Jannik Sinner credits Carlos Alcaraz for his improvement as a tennis player
Jannik Sinner is enjoying the greatest achievement of his career right now as he secured the World No. 1 ranking for the first time. He overtook Novak Djokovic at the top spot after the Serbian was forced to withdraw from his Roland Garros quarter-final due to a meniscus tear.
Sinner’s rise to the top spot has been a result of hard work and dedication from his team, the support of his parents, and many others. However, the Italian has also complimented his rival Carlos Alcaraz for improving his game. He gave an interview to CNBC, discussing the Spaniard’s importance in his career.
I am very happy for him. He makes me a better tennis player… every time when I play against him and I lose I know what I have to improve. Me and my team we will work on that and we can’t wait to play against him again. I think this makes me a better player because we have a rivalry which is a little bit different.. So I am very happy to hopefully show in the future that I have improved as a player, and I’m looking forward to it.
Jannik Sinner in an interview with his CNBC
Sinner and Alcaraz met in the Roland Garros semi-final this year, and the Spaniard emerged victorious in five sets. The new World No. 2 overcame a two-sets-to-one deficit against the Italian to win 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Their other meeting was in the Indian Wells semi-final, where Alcaraz once again won in a tight affair en route to the title. The Spaniard leads their head-to-head meetings 5-4.
Jannik Sinner’s hard road to clinch the Year-End World No.1 ranking
The new World No. 1, Jannik Sinner, is elated after becoming the first Italian to top the ATP world rankings. However, maintaining that position poses a significant challenge ahead.
The next major tournament is Wimbledon, where Sinner reached the semi-finals, with Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz emerging as finalists. Following the fortnight at SW19, Sinner faces a tough road preparing to defend his first Masters 1000 title at the Rogers Masters in Canada.
After the Canadian Masters, Sinner will experience less pressure as he has few points to defend in Cincinnati and the US Open, where he exited in the Round of 16. In contrast, Alcaraz reached the semi-finals and Djokovic claimed the title. However, Sinner then needs to defend two ATP 500 tournaments in China and Vienna. Additionally, he remained undefeated until the finals of the World Tour Finals last year, where he lost to Djokovic.
The positive aspect for Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic is that any of them could potentially become World No. 1 by the end of the season. Nevertheless, Sinner is the favorite, as he currently occupies the spot coveted by the other two in the middle of the season.