Goran Ivanisevic has made a bold claim regarding Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
The pair have established themselves as the two best players on the ATP Tour and are the faces of a new generation of men’s tennis.
They have contested the last two Grand Slam finals and the last seven majors have been won by either Alcaraz or Sinner.
As their rivalry continues to heat up, those within the tennis world are debating who they believe to be the better player, and now a former Wimbledon champion has shared his point of view.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty ImagesGoran Ivanisevic thinks Jannik Sinner is better than Carlos Alcaraz right now
Jannik Sinner lost his last five matches to Carlos Alcaraz before the Wimbledon final.
The Italian rebounded from the heartbreak of losing an epic French Open final to defeat the Spaniard in four sets to win his first title at the All-England Club.
Sinner was able to neutralise Alcaraz’s weapons after the first set, and the Spaniard had no answer for the consistent aggression coming his way.
After witnessing their 13th ATP match, 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic had no doubt in his mind over choosing Sinner as the better player than Alcaraz at present.
“In my opinion he [Sinner] is currently a slightly better player than Alcaraz, and the two of them are five spears ahead of everyone else,” Ivanisevic told Croatian media outlet Gol.
“The only one who can maybe fight with them is Novak Djokovic, but the others don’t have a chance. Sinner is better, tougher, I don’t know what tactics I would play against Sinner, he has an answer for everything. He comes back, gathers his strength, wins the tournament.”
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesCarlos Alcaraz says he wants to take the world number one ranking from Jannik Sinner
Alcaraz is currently leading his head-to-head rivalry with Sinner with eight wins from their 13 matches. He also has five Grand Slam titles to his name, while Sinner has four.
But one area where the Italian has a significant advantage is the world number one ranking. Sinner has been atop the rankings since June 2024.
Alcaraz became the youngest world number one in 2022, and he has held the position for 20 weeks so far. The 22-year-old has grown exponentially as a player over the last three years and he now has his sights on reclaiming the position.
“Yes, I’m ready,” Alcaraz said. “Last year, after the Olympic Games, I struggled and didn’t achieve great results. So from now on, I won’t have many points to defend until the end of the season. I’ll give my all in the upcoming tournaments to win as many points as possible.