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Juan Carlos Ferrero has suggested that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's relationship will be tested once their rivalry grows.
Alcaraz and Sinner look poised to achieve great things in tennis in the next few years. The two have already announced themselves on the grandest of stages with the Spaniard having bagged two Grand Slam titles at just 20 years old and Sinner, 22, triumphing at the Australian Open 2024.
There's not much separating the two youngsters on the court as well, with Sinner holding a slim 4-3 lead in their head-to-head record.
Juan Carlos Ferrero, who has been coaching Carlos Alcaraz since 2019, recently answered a few questions from Marca. Among several things, he addressed Alcaraz's budding rivalry with Sinner and how the on-court tussle could harm their camaraderie in the future.
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"On many occasions, it is not easy because it is one of your biggest rivals or your biggest rival. The more times you play and the more defeats you have that can hurt, that relationship is not easy to be fluid," Ferrero said.
Ferrero, however, said that there's a sense of harmony between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as of now.
"The two of them have a super healthy, super good relationship. Carlos sees the things that Jannik does well and they will feed off each other's level," Ferrero added.
"Jannik Sinner has been investing to increase his repertoire of shots and at a tactical level" - Carlos Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero
During the same conversation with Marca, Carlos Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero acknowledged Jannik Sinner's grind to achieve his goals.
"He [Jannik Sinner] is a player who has been pursuing his goals for the last two years, whatever they were," Ferrero said.
Ferrero further dissected the changes Sinner, with assistance from his team, has brought in his style of play to achieve better results on the court. He said:
"What they [Sinner's team] thought needed to be improved they went for it. A couple of seasons ago he played a lot crossed, few drop shots, went up to the net less... And he has been investing to increase his repertoire of shots and at a tactical level.
"You can see him throw more drop shots, he hits parallel blows naturally, his serve has also improved a lot: first he supported with both feet and now he drags. They are signs that the team wants to see him improve and he is willing to do so."
