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<\/p>\n Match Preview
\n What Brad Gilbert says will be key for Alcaraz & Sinner in Monte-Carlo final<\/p>\n
Former World No. 4 Gilbert dives deep into the strategy of Sunday’s showdown<\/p>\n
April 12, 2026<\/p>\n
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Corinne Dubreuil\/ATP Tour<\/p>\n
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will meet Sunday for the Monte-Carlo title.
\n By Andrew Eichenholz<\/p>\n
If you had spoken to former World No. 4 and renowned coach Brad Gilbert<\/a> before the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters<\/a> about the start to the season, he would have predicted that Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> and Jannik Sinner<\/a> would have played one another upwards of three times from their four tournaments. <\/p>\n But instead, the superstars\u2019 Sunday showdown in the Principality will be their first clash of 2026. Sinner has been in stunning form, winning 16 consecutive matches with the loss of just one set. The Italian enters the final off the back of a flawless performance against World No. 3 Alexander Zverev<\/a>, to whom he ceded just five games.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s a completely different matchup mentally, because of the fact that Alcaraz could do some things against him that other guys can\u2019t do,\u201d Gilbert said. \u201cIt was just a stroll in the park today. He didn’t have that feeling of what could maybe happen here? So, I do think that the biggest thing that I see, that Alcaraz sometimes he can have some dips in focus and concentrator. He can’t have that against Sinner and I think he’s ready to go.\u201d <\/p>\n According to Gilbert, there were so many matches in the legendary rivalries between the likes of Roger Federer<\/a> and Rafael Nadal<\/a>, and Andre Agassi<\/a> and Pete Sampras<\/a>, that there were rarely new wrinkles in the matchups. Those encounters would come down to execution and performance on big points.<\/p>\n Alcaraz leads Sinner 10-6 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, but it has felt like there have been constant developments in their matches. Both men have continued improving their game and pushing one another to new heights.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like the genius of Alcaraz, what really sets him apart and why he’s such a fascinating watch, is his incredible unpredictability and genius level of it,\u201d Gilbert said. \u201cIt is whether or not he might all of a sudden, at the tightest time, pull off a couple of drop shots. He might work a serve and volley. He might loop a forehand, crush a forehand. <\/p>\n \u201cStrategising for a player, when you have these feelings and trends of what they do, you have an idea of what to expect. But that\u2019s the beautiful thing about him, he just might throw a wrinkle at you you’re not ready for, and he can execute it.\u201d<\/p>\n You May Also Like: Alcaraz & Sinner reignite remarkable rivalry in Monte-Carlo final: ‘It’s the dream’<\/a><\/p>\n Gilbert believes Sinner is \u201cincredibly underrated for his touch\u201d because the 24-year-old is so well known for his machine-like game, blasting opponents off the court from the baseline. But the former coach of Andre Agassi<\/a>, Andy Roddick<\/a> and Coco Gauff among others pointed out that the No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings occasionally will pull off a tweener and show his skillset. This week, he has hit \u201csome beauties\u201d with his drop shot.<\/p>\n But this year\u2019s Indian Wells and Miami champion is standing out with his serve. Sinner has won 149 of his 154 service games during his 16-match winning streak for a winning rate of 96.8 per cent.<\/p>\n \u201cSinner has just been playing on another level, especially since Indian Wells. He’s been serving so [well]. He hits his spots, and he’s not a 145 [mph] server or some cannon server, but he’s kind of like a Fed [Roger Federer<\/a>] server,\u201d Gilbert said. \u201cHe serves a little bigger, but he’s a dime server. He’s been hitting his spots so good, and taking care of his serve so unbelievably well, which allows him to literally find easy breaks. But he’s playing at an incredible, methodical level at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
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