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Adriano Panatta, an Italian former ATP No. 4, believes Jannik Sinner will win more titles in the long run compared to Carlos Alcaraz. The 74-year-old expressed his bold belief recently, after Sinner lost to Alcaraz in the men's singles final of the 2025 Italian Open.
Panatta penned a column for Corriere della Sera, an Italian daily newspaper, following his young compatriot's defeat at the hands of the Spaniard in Rome on Sunday, May 18. Here, the 1976 French Open champion wrote about the reigning No. 1's remarkable consistency. According to Panatta, it is this consistency that will, in time, yield greater glory for Sinner, who was on a 26-match winning streak before falling to Alcaraz at the Foro Italico.
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"I remain convinced that Sinner will win more than Alcaraz in their respective careers, because he is more consistent , while the Spaniard seems to become so only when he plays against the Italian," Panatta wrote.
However, the 74-year-old also claimed that there's no one better in contemporary men's tennis than Alcaraz when the Spaniard peaks.
"There is no doubt that when Alcaraz manages to combine all the best things in his tennis, the level he manages to develop is the highest on the circuit," he added.
Only time will tell if Panatta's belief becomes a reality. As things stand, Carlos Alcaraz, despite being a year younger than Jannik Sinner, has the same amount of career singles titles (19) as the Italian.
Also, the Spaniard has won more big titles than the reigning No. 1. Alcaraz's latest success in Rome marked his seventh Masters 1000 title triumph, while Sinner has triumphed at four Masters 1000 events. The Spaniard has also won four Majors compared to Sinner's three.
Despite these statistics, Panatta's views were partly echoed by Alcaraz himself in the aftermath of his victory against Sinner in the Italian capital.
"If I don't play at my best, 10 out of 10, it's going to be impossible to beat Jannik Sinner" - Carlos Alcaraz
At his post-match press conference following the conclusion of the 2025 Italian Open's men's singles final, Carlos Alcaraz spoke up about the experience of playing against Jannik Sinner. The 22-year-old stated that when facing the his 23-year-old rival, he has no option but to be at his best.
"He's the best player in the world. It doesn't matter that he was out of the Tour for three months. Every tournament he's playing, he plays great. The numbers are there. I mean, he wins almost every match he plays. That's why I'm even more focused when I play against him," Alcaraz said.
"If I don't play at my best, 10 out of 10, it's going to be impossible to beat him. That's why I'm more focused when I'm playing against him, or I feel a little bit different when I'm going to face him than other players," he added.
Both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will be in action next at the 2025 French Open, where they could meet again in what would be their maiden clash in the final of a Grand Slam.
