Boris Becker and Toni Nadal have shared their thoughts on the rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz and addressed which player has the edge.
Nadal argued Alcaraz is better than Sinner, but Becker feels it is “impossible to say which of the two players will dominate tennis” at this early stage.
Alcaraz and Sinner are the two leading young ATP stars and they have separated themselves from their rivals in the same age bracket this season.
The duo are the only men born after the turn of the century to win a Grand Slam title, with Daniil Medvedev the next-youngest Major champion at the age of 28.
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Sinner claimed his maiden Grand Slam crown at the 2024 Australian Open in January and he became the ATP world No 1 for the first time after the French Open earlier this month.
The 22-year-old Italian has lost only three matches this year and has not been beaten before the semi-finals at any tournament since October.
Alcaraz secured his third Grand Slam title at Roland Garros at the start of June — making him the youngest man to win a Major on three different surfaces. The 21-year-old Spaniard holds the record for being the youngest world No 1 in ATP Rankings history.
Speaking at an event ahead of the ATP 250 tournament in Mallorca, tennis legend Becker weighed in on the competition between Sinner and Alcaraz.
“It is impossible to say which of the two players will dominate tennis in the years to come (translated from Spanish),” assessed the six-time Grand Slam champion.
“From a young age, at 22 and 21, they both had pressure. If we compare them with Roger Federer, [Rafael] Nadal and Novak Djokovic, [they have] to play for another 15 years.
“Maybe then we can know who is better in five years as they evolve and new players and rivals emerge.”
Renowned coach Toni Nadal, who is the tournament director at the Mallorca Championships, gave his backing to his Spanish compatriot.
“Alcaraz is better, he does more things on the court than Sinner. I see Alcaraz with more options to do more things,” Nadal said.
“Sinner has a lot of control, although Alcaraz is a little better mentally. Both are equally strong on all surfaces as the game has really become more consistent.”
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