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Andy Roddick responded to Mats Wilander's opinion and glowing appreciation of the progress shown by Jannik Sinner in the 2024 season. Roddick agreed with Wilander but also highlighted how Carlos Alcaraz took a similar stride in men's tennis a couple of years back.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have been at the forefront of men's tennis for the last few years. Currently ranked World No. 2 and World No. 3, respectively, they are in prime position to challenge Novak Djokovic for the top spot.
Both of them have defeated Djokovic at a Grand Slam event. Sinner defeated Djokovic in the semi-final of the Australian Open, ending the Serb's perfect record of 10-0 in the semifinals. On the other hand, Alcaraz defeated Djokovic at the Wimbledon Final in 2023 ending the latter's reign at the All England Club which started in 2018.
Recently, former World No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander opined that he had never seen a player improve the way Sinner has this year.
In a post by The Tennis Letter on X (formerly Twitter), Wilander was quoted claiming that Djokovic was the last player whose improvement had impressed the Swede this much.
“It’s an incredible improvement, an improvement that I don’t think I’ve seen in a young player since the Big 3, when Novak Djokovic went from being a normal player to understanding ‘I’m better than these guys". (Via Eurosport)
In response to this, Andy Roddick said that while he agreed with Wilander's take, he also added that Carlos Alcaraz made a similar jump to the top of men's tennis.
"I love Mats and agree w the sentiment. Didn’t Alcaraz go from outside top 30 to year end number 1 in same year ?"
Roddick's argument comes from the fact that in 2022, Carlos Alcaraz progressed from being in the Top 35 to finishing the year as the World No. 1.
Alcaraz vs Sinner is the rivalry to watch out for in men's tennis in the current era
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner continue to exhibit their talent, physical power, and mentality to combat pressure situations in significant matches, with their head-to-head record evenly poised at 4-4.
The marquee match between the pair is the US Open 2022 quarter-final which Alcaraz won after a grueling contest spanning over five hours and five sets. The Spaniard went on to win the title and become the youngest World No. 1.
Both players have 13 titles to their name so far, with 12 of Sinner's titles coming on the hard court. On the other hand, Alcaraz's 13 titles have come across different surfaces.
Sinner and Alcaraz are set to begin their clay court season with the Monte-Carlo Masters and are the second and third seeds in the tournament respectively.
