Carlos Alcaraz has the game that bothers Jannik Sinner": Andy Roddick opens up on Italian's struggles against the Spaniard 

Andy Roddick has reflected on the on-court rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The former US Open champion, however, believes that Alcaraz's game presents a unique challenge for Sinner.

In a recent episode of the 'Served with Andy Roddick' podcast, the 42-year-old lauded the World No. 1's ability to perform well against tough opponents despite facing doping allegations during the season.

"He set the record in Turin, least amount of games ever lost in a world tour final. Putting beat downs on the best players in the world at the end of the season, all while having this case over his head. I mean running out of superlatives," he said (33:17).

Roddick emphasized that Sinner is currently the best overall player but acknowledged Alcaraz's dominance on clay and grass this season. He added that the Spaniard remains Sinner's toughest competitor on tour.

"He is the best player in the world when there is not something slippery under his feat, and I don't know it's up for question at this point. Clay is obviously very different, grass is very different. Carlos Alcaraz has risen on those things, Carlos didn't play a full season, he was injured a bunch of the times, we are gonna go a lot more in those match ups over time. He does have the game that bothers Sinner more than anyone else on planet earth in this current moment," he added.

Alcaraz and Sinner both enjoyed an impressive season. The Spaniard won 54 out of 67 matches this season. He also secured four tour-level titles, the French Open, the Wimbledon Championships, the Indian Wells Masters, and the China Open.

Meanwhile, Sinner concluded the year with an impressive 73-6 win-loss record, securing eight tour-level titles, including triumphs at the US Open, Australian Open, Cincinnati Open, and Shanghai Masters. He also claimed victory at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, finishing the season as the World No. 1.

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Carlos Alcaraz has defeated Jannik Sinner in all their meetings this season

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 Australian Open - Day 5 - Source: Getty

Carlos Alcaraz had the upper hand in every meeting with Jannik Sinner this season. Their first encounter took place in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals at Indian Wells, where, despite losing the first set 1-6, Alcaraz bounced back to win the next two 6-3, 6-2, and claim the match.

The second encounter took place in the French Open semifinals, where Sinner initially took control, winning the first set 6-2. Alcaraz responded by winning the second 6-3. After Sinner claimed the third 6-3, Alcaraz rallied to win the final two sets 6-4, 6-3, and secure the victory.

Their third and most recent encounter occurred in the China Open final, where Alcaraz emerged victorious with a 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) scoreline.

Moreover, the Spaniard holds a 6-4 lead in their overall head-to-head record against Sinner.