LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz isn’t underestimating the challenge he faces on Sunday when he plays Jannik Sinner for the Wimbledon title.
The Spaniard is currently on a 20-match winning run at The All England Club, with his latest win being over Taylor Fritz, whom he defeated in four sets. Alcaraz is seeking a third consecutive title at the tournament and his sixth major title overall.
Standing in his way of glory is world No.1 Sinner, who defeated a physically hampered Novak Djokovic in his semi-final match. The showdown will be a repeat of the record-breaking French Open final that lasted more than five hours earlier this year. During that roller-coaster match, Alcaraz saved a trio of match points in the fourth set before going on to win in five.
Given the nature of his latest victory, it can be argued that the Spaniard might have the upper hand when it comes to the mental side of the match-up. However, he believes quick learner Sinner is likely to have already recovered from his Paris heartbreak.
“Not at all, to be honest,” he replied when asked if he had the mental advantage over Sinner.
“Jannik, he learned from everything as a huge champion, from the losses, from the matches he’s playing, and he just gets better after every match.
“I’m pretty sure he’s going to take a lot of things from the French Open final, that he’s going to be better. He’s going to be better physically, and he’s going to be better mentally. He’s going to be prepared on Sunday to give his 100%.”
In their previous 12 Tour-level meetings, Alcaraz has triumphed on eight of those occasions, which include their five most recent meetings. However, it will be the first time they have faced each other on the grass since the fourth round of Wimbledon three years ago.
“We are completely different players on grass, on all surfaces. I’m pretty sure that it’s going to be different,” he commented.
“Jannik is playing great tennis on grass. The movement on grass is the hardest thing to get and the most important thing, at least for me. And the movement that Jannik has on grass is unbelievable.”
Besides chasing after trophies, Alcaraz acknowledges the importance of his rivalry when it comes to promoting the sport. Especially since the end of the Big Three era, with two of those players having retired.
“The things that we are doing right now, I think, are great for tennis. We just fight to engage more people to watch tennis. We’re just fighting for the tennis to be bigger, as all the tennis players are doing,” he concluded.
