There’s no denying that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are dominating the men’s game and anyone who faces them on court is up for a major challenge – both mentally and physically.
On last week’s episode of The Tennis podcast, Aussie tennis star, Thanasi Kokkinakis, explained “it’s so tough to say” which player will end up superior.
“I think it’s tough because Carlos’ top level is better, but Jannik I feel like mentally is going to be a bit more stable and probably have less surprising shock defeats,” said the 2022 Australian Open men’s doubles champion.
Alcaraz currently leads their head-to-head nine to five, having won six of their last seven meetings.
“Both at their top-level, I think Carlos probably has the edge. He has a little bit more variety, a little bit more fire power.
“I think Carlos’ only weakness is when he gets bored on court, and he gets a bit erratic and tries to win points in so many different ways that he gets a little bit impatient and he always wants to put on a show for the crowd.”
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Although it could appear that Sinner is trailing behind, Kokkinakis shared what he believes are the ingredients to the four-time major champion’s success and what gives him a competitive advantage against the world No.2.
“I think Sinner is obviously an incredible player, but he is a little bit more mentally sort of stable, and you know what you’re going to get from him day-in, day-out. He’s not going to try as many crazy shots. He’s not really playing to impress the crowd as much. He’s just playing to try and win.
“There are absolutely no weaknesses in Jannik’s game. He moves well on both sides. I’ve never seen someone sort of defend out of his backhand side like he does. He slides on hard courts like it’s nothing.”
The pair’s last meeting was only last week at the Cincinnati final that ended devastatingly for the world No.1 when Sinner was forced to retire at 0-5 in the first set due to illness.
But Kokkinakis doesn’t rule him out for the final Slam of the year.
“I don’t think this will affect him too much. It’s obviously disappointing to go out like that in the final. I saw Zverev was struggling as well with illness. It’s so hot there. That North American swing I think is the toughest place to play.
“I’d say [Sinner’s] still the favourite for the US Open if he’s healthy,” the 2022 Adelaide International champion revealed.
Sinner breezed into the second round at Flushing Meadows after dropping only four games against Vit Kopriva, showing no signs of struggle. Alcaraz also booked a spot in the Round of 64 after taking down Reilly Opelka in straight sets.
The Italian will next take on Popyrin who ended Djokovic’s US Open campaign last year, while the Spaniard is set to play Bellucci.
Sinner and Alcaraz, the No.1 and No.2 seeds, could potentially meet in the final at Flushing Meadows, which would be their third consecutive Grand Slam final meeting this year.
Alcaraz was victorious at Roland Garros and Sinner at Wimbledon, leaving them with a title each.