Jannik Sinner, the world number one, received his first taste of grand slam victory at the 2024 Australian Open and developed in confidence the rest of the year, winning five more titles, including the 2024 United States Open.
With two major victories under his belt, the 23-year-old will be difficult to stop by 2025 if he continues at his present pace. This is the opinion of Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach.
In an essay published in “El Pais,” Nadal stated that Sinner’s rise could be a warning sign for other Tour players, notably World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz.
“Today, he has become a player who is practically unstoppable for the vast majority of his opponents,” Nadal wrote of Sinner. “He is capable of delivering each of his strokes with great speed and with very few unforced errors. Overcoming him from the back of the court is almost impossible…I must say that I still enjoy Alcaraz’s game more — I like him even more — but I must also admit and fear that the current leader’s notable improvement, especially on a mental level, will make things really difficult for him. The rivalry is definitely on.”
Nadal also mentioned that U.S. star Taylor Fritz made the error of playing “very fast rallies” from the back of the court against Sinner in the US Open final, which was a recipe for disaster against the Italian. Nadal said Fritz was attempting to surprise Sinner with victories from the baseline only to discover that making the World No. 1 miss on those rallies is “practically impossible” for any player on the Tour.
Sinner’s style is better suited to hard courts, but he reached the semifinals at Roland Garros and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon this year, demonstrating his adaptability to different surfaces. As a result, Nadal believes Sinner will become an even more dangerous competitor if he starts winning on clay or grass courts.
According to Nadal, the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry “is definitely on” and might resurface in 2025, a year after they split the four grand slams. Many believe the two budding talents will dominate tennis over the next decade, just as the famous Big Three did for the previous two decades.