“He Lacks One” Thing”—Former Tennis Player Points One Thing That Makes Carlos Alcaraz Less Powerful Compared to Jannik Sinner
Nicolas Escude: Carlos Alcaraz Has the Tools to Challenge Jannik Sinner
Former world No. 17 Nicolas Escude has pinpointed Carlos Alcaraz as the player best equipped to challenge Jannik Sinner, analyzing the Italian’s growing dominance on the ATP Tour.
While Escude acknowledges that Alcaraz possesses “all the solutions”, he believes the Spaniard is currently struggling to organize his game effectively.
Sinner’s Stronghold in the Rankings
Sinner, the current world No. 1, leads the ATP Rankings by an impressive 4,820 points over Alcaraz, who sits at No. 3 behind Alexander Zverev. The Italian cemented his position with a 2025 Australian Open victory over Zverev in the final, while Alcaraz fell to Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.
Since the start of 2024, Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated Grand Slam tournaments, winning five consecutive majors. They have collectively claimed seven of the last 10 Grand Slams, a streak that began with Alcaraz’s maiden major title at the 2022 US Open.
Sinner has emerged as the hard-court king, winning the 2024 and 2025 Australian Opens, along with the 2024 US Open, following Djokovic’s last Grand Slam win in New York in 2023. Meanwhile, Alcaraz has captured four major titles, securing two Wimbledon crowns (2023, 2024) and a Roland Garros triumph in 2024 to add to his US Open victory.
Despite Sinner’s rise, Alcaraz holds a 6-4 head-to-head lead, having won all three of their encounters in 2024.
Escude’s Analysis: Two Ways to Beat Sinner
Speaking to L’Equipe, Escude outlined two key factors that could challenge Sinner’s dominance:
- Endurance and Physicality – “We saw Sinner have a big physical failure against Rune at the Australian Open. For him to lose, he needs to face a player who can physically keep up with his intensity—which is no easy task.”
- A Serving Powerhouse – “A serving machine who can push him to tight sets and capitalize on a point or two could trouble him. But over the course of a Grand Slam, sustaining that is difficult.”
Escude believes Alcaraz remains the most viable threat to Sinner’s supremacy, citing his wide array of skills. However, he emphasized that Alcaraz still lacks consistency in execution.
“Alcaraz has all the tools to challenge Sinner, but right now, he continues to make errors and struggles to put everything in order.”
Upcoming Challenges
Alcaraz is set to compete at the Rotterdam Open this week, where he will be the top seed in Sinner’s absence. The Italian, who won the 2024 Rotterdam title, opted not to defend his crown, focusing on future tournaments as he looks to extend his lead at the top of the rankings.
