"Jannik Sinner lacked a win of this magnitude"- Rafael Nadal's uncle feels Italian's Australian Open win has made him a worthy rival to Carlos Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have long been tipped as future stars of the men’s tour, set to take over the ‘Big 3’ - Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer - who have long dominated the sport.

Alcaraz proved his mettle by winning his first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open and followed it up with a second Major at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. Up until a few days ago, Sinner did not have a trophy that big to his name. But with his recent win at the Australian Open, where he upset the likes of Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev en route to the title, the Italian joined the big league.

This sentiment was echoed by tennis coach Toni Nadal who claimed that the win has cemented Sinner’s status as a major rival for Alcaraz. In a recent column on El Pais, the Spanish tennis coach wrote that the Italian’s performance in the Australian Open final should dispel any doubt about his ability to win big matches.

"Although Sinner had long been considered Carlos Alcaraz's most likely rival, he lacked a victory of this magnitude to confirm it," Toni Nadal said. "Yesterday certain doubts that somewhat overshadowed his performance when he played high-tension matches were dispelled." [translated from Spanish].

Toni Nadal, who has also coached nephew Rafael Nadal, said there was little doubt Sinner was the most improved top-10 player over the past year - citing his wins over both Djokovic and Alcaraz to justify the statement.

"There is little doubt that he has been the player with the greatest improvement in this last year. He has been able to defeat virtually every top 10 player, including Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic," the Spaniard wrote.

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"Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will compete for supremacy on the world list" - Toni Nadal

Jannik Sinner at the 2024 Australian Open.

Toni Nadal heaped further praise on Jannik Sinner in the same column, noting that he has won 12 of his last 13 matches against fellow top-10 players.

The Spaniard said the above statistic, combined with the confidence of getting his first Grand Slam trophy under his belt, would make Sinner an even tougher opponent to beat.

"In his last thirteen matches against a player among the top ten in the world ranking, Jannik Sinner has won twelve times," Toni Nadal said. "If we add to these data the enormous tranquility and confidence that winning a Grand Slam gives, we can only expect greater ease and daring in the coming months." [translated from Spanish].

Nadal said fans can expect to see Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner compete for the biggest trophies and the sport’s top prizes for the next few years.

"And without a doubt, also, the confirmation that he will be our tennis player's greatest rival in the coming years," he added. "The most logical thing is to think that, from now on, the Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will be the ones who will compete for supremacy on the world list."