"Everyone can try to play like Jannik Sinner" - Mats Wilander explains what sets Carlos Alcaraz & his 'rare talent' apart from Italian rival

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the two big names of tennis right now, dominating the world of men's singles. Recently, Mat Wilander weighed in on the duo's strengths and revealed how Alcaraz's talent sets him apart from his Italian rival.

Sinner and Alcaraz are currently ranked first and second in the ATP World Rankings. Between the two of them, they've won seven of the past eight Grand Slams, including all three Majors which have taken place this year. Additionally, the duo have played each other back-to-back in the last two Grand Slam finals.

Recently, in a conversation with L’Equipe, former Swedish World No.1 Mat Wilander shared his thoughts about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz's game styles. The seven-time Grand Slam winner highlighted that the Spaniard was a rare, generational talent, while Sinner’s dedication is what sets him apart from the rest, saying

“I think his (Sinner’s) tennis is five or ten years ahead of what I imagined the evolution of the game would be. He’s leading the way and will quickly serve as a role model, because not everyone can play tennis like Alcaraz. That requires extremely rare talent. On the other hand, everyone can try to play like Sinner, which doesn’t require exceptional talent in itself, but total dedication.”

Over the course of their careers, Sinner and Alcaraz have faced each other a total of 13 times, with the latter having won eight of these matches.

Mat Wilander shares his thoughts on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon final

Alcaraz and Sinner at the 2025 Roland-Garros (Image Source: Getty)

Earlier this year, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz faced off against each other at the Roland Garros finals. The Italian got the match off to a strong start and looked like a shoe in for the win when Alcaraz came from two sets down to lift the French Open trophy.

Following this, the duo met again at the Wimbledon finals. While the Spaniard was the favorite for the win this time around, Sinner was able to get his revenge, clinching a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win. Weighing in on the their clash in England, Mat Wilander said,

“Watching this final unfold, it was hard to believe that Carlos Alcaraz had won his last five matches with Jannik Sinner, and easy to remember that, yes, Jannik should have won at Roland Garros a month ago. There, as here, he was the better player.” “He has improved more than Carlos over the last two years combined, which, consequently, also leaves the latter more room for improvement in the future, particularly in terms of choosing his shots better, sometimes,” he went on to add.

Up next, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are scheduled to kick off their hard court season at the National Bank Open. The event is slated to take place between July 27 and August 7 in Montreal, Canada.

Edited by Riddhi Acharya