Former American champion Jim Courier, in a Tennis Channel Live podcast, compared the skills of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and gave an explanation for the fact that the Spaniard lost more matches than his Italian rival. Carlitos and Jannik were the two dominators of 2024. The two young champions shared the 4 seasonal Majors, furthermore Sinner became ATP No.1 also for the consistency of performances and results shown during the season.
ADVERTISEMENT
Although the level of play of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner is similar when both are at their best, Courier thinks that their different styles of play affect the consistency and regularity of the results.
The American said that Jannik is the definitive proof at this moment. Alcaraz is certainly an important test, but there are more ups and downs in the Spanish tennis player's game, stressed Courier, who then said that when you look at his losses this season and compare them to those of Sinner, you see that the Spaniard has beaten the Italian three times in direct clashes, but Carlitos suffers defeats because he simply makes more mistakes.
"Sinner is more reliable, he is more consistent, that's the difference. This consistency is difficult to maintain and he does it day after day and match after match. He can be at risk in certain matches, he sometimes seems to be backed into a corner but he often knows how to make the points that then turn the matches around," said the former American legend.
ADVERTISEMENT
On the eve of the ATP Finals, Carlitos said he was surprised by the welcome from the Italian crowd, despite his now strong rivalry with Sinner. This is because the young Spaniard and his Italian colleague have a solid friendship that goes beyond their rivalry on the court.
"I honestly don't know why so many Italian fans continue to love me so much despite my rivalry with Jannik, but I think it's because I always try to make people have fun when I go on the court. Maybe it's because of my personality or maybe it's just my tennis but it's true that in Italy I feel the passion of the fans. Italians love sports a lot, not just tennis," he said.
