"Just as Jannik Sinner knows how to play, Carlos Alcaraz knows how to play" - Spaniard's coach ahead of French Open SF

Carlos Alcaraz's coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero has expressed his views on the semifinal clash between his ward and newly-minted World No. 1 Jannik Sinner at the 2024 French Open on Friday (June 7). The Spaniard asserted that there is very little to separate the two youngsters in terms of their playing level while discussing the strategic aspects of the match.

Sinner and Alcaraz have both been in scintillating form in Paris this fortnight. The second and the third seed have each dropped only one set in their campaigns, with the winner of their ninth-career match being the favorite to triumph at the claycourt Major in the final.

Carlos Alcaraz's coach and former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero took questions from Spanish tabloid Punto de Break ahead of the highly-awaited match. When asked whether he had prepared a strategy for Alcaraz, Ferrero replied in the affirmative before claiming that the two players were evenly matched.

"There is a strategy. It is clear that if you do not go out with a clear strategy to play against Sinner, if you do not have a clear idea of how you are going to play, there are always many more complications because you do not know what to play.

I think the strategy (is) between us and the times we have played against each other, because just as Jannik knows how he has to play, Carlos knows how he has to play."

The 44-year-old also praised Jannik Sinner for his complete game, insisting that even small adjustments would go a long way for Carlos Alcaraz in terms of getting the victory on Friday.

"What happens is that they are both so good that many times they don't really allow themselves to make those strategies. But hey, we have a pretty clear idea of what a little more damage can do to him knowing that the player is very complete."

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Carlos Alcaraz on his rivalry with Jannik Sinner: "He doesn't do anything wrong... constantly pushes you to the limit"

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in action at Indian Wells Masters 2024

Carlos Alcaraz gave his thougnts on his budding rivalry with Jannik Sinner following his quarterfinal win over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday (June 5). The 21-year-old admitted that he was nervous ahead of the blockbuster match.

He admitted to Punto de Break that he had learnt a lot from the Italian in their past eight matches.

"I really like having to find solutions on the fly to change the course of the matches, like I did in Indian Wells. I think I have been learning from him every time we have faced each other. I know that I am facing the great challenge of today in the world of tennis, so I don't feel like a favorite and I will surely be a little more nervous than usual."

Tied 4-4 in his head-to-head with Sinner, the Spaniard insisted that 'taking the initiative' away from the World No. 1 would be one of the keys to their encounter at the 2024 French Open.

"He doesn't do anything wrong, he has an incredible ball strike, he constantly pushes you to the limit and it is very difficult to take the initiative away from him. I love the challenge of measuring myself against him because it makes me wake up every day wanting to be a better player."